Making my 800 gal larger.

[nolapete]

Signs are a general absolute no in regard to residential areas and any kind of business whether it be a non or for profit. When you officially asked for permission, you officially told them you were operating a non-profit. She's doing what she's supposed to as required by her position. I'm not agreeing with it by any means, but I don't think it's just her.

Do you have your LLC for tax purposes? Other than that, I can't see any reason you'd even need an LLC to rescue fish/reptiles. I occasionally take in fish people don't want and rehome them. Not anywhere on the scale that you do. I never considered the need for having an LLC before now. I'm curious as to why you have it.

 

[gomezladdams]

What a load!Good luck in your battle with that dope.

 

[cvermeulen]

Does the zoning commission have a email address we can write to? I find this kind of thing so stupid... similar things have happened to me over the years. Anything that requires a commission or a committee or a board of directors so often is populated with people who need to feel self important, and who operate on strict policy because they have no capacity to exercise independent thought.

Anyway, I hope you come out on the top of this, although usually there's not too much you can do other than what they've asked... unless you're willing to resort to some kind of revenge tactic to soothe your feelings.

 

[TheFishGuy]

LowCel, our last metting is a perfect example of how MFR works. Heck, the thread you started about it is PERFECT!

Here it is if others would like to read it:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228220

 

[TheFishGuy]

I have the LLC because according to the state of ohio that's the status I needed first in order to become 501c3 approved...

 

[TheFishGuy]

Also, I understand it's her job. But I also told her that we are not open to the public and that the sign would only be put out if people were coming over. The sign is not the issue really, it's the shutting me down in 90 days after telling me that internet buisinesses were not an issue.

THEN she mentioned the the sewer department found a dead fish in the the sewage plant.... Talk about an insinuation... Am I the only one in Orwell that keeps fish????? NO!! While I have flushed small fish... like dead goldfish... It's not like I flushed a 3' red tail cat or something......

 

[TheFishGuy]

There's a "contact us" button on the bottom left of this link:

http://www.orwellvillage.org/

 

[danz]

Vicki Thompson
Zoning Inspector

Office: (440)437-5875
Cell: (440)536-6171
vicki@orwellvillage.org

 

[TheFishGuy]

Here's what I will be reading at the upcoming meeting.

Monster Fish Rescue.com​

Pertaining to the matter of the Monster Fish Rescue.com sign that was in the front yard of 113 South Maple Street, where I, Jonathan Strazinsky reside, I would like to clarify (1) the signs purpose, and (2) Monster Fish Rescue as a business.

1.) I contacted zoning the week of March 9th to ask about placing the sign in my front yard as a simple land mark for fellow board members of the Ohio Cichlid Association so they could easily find where our board meeting was going to take place. Each month a board member of the OCA volunteers to host a board meeting at their residence. I volunteered to host Marches meeting. I wanted to make sure there were no issues with the village of Orwell with me wanted to put the sign up. Vicki Thomson informed me that I could set up the sign on the day of the meeting (March 14th 2009) and she then would bring it up to her boss about possibly keeping the sign up on a permanent basis which I was told would cost $10. Initially I just wanted to have the sign out to use as a land mark for when people would come over for any reason what so ever. Then Vicki told me that it was only $10 for a sign permit.
Admittedly I forgot to take the sign down. The meeting ended late and we had family over the following day. My priority was not to get the sign down but to prepare our home for visitors. I apologize if the sign offended someone in the village but I find it interesting that the first time I bring the sign up to a village employee all of a sudden there’s “Complaints about the sign” when last year I had a 4’x2’ blue box with the exact same wording on it out in the front yard for a few weeks and never had a single complaint.
As for the sign it’s self it is simply an advertisement for a website, my website. No where on the sign does it say “open for business” or “please come in”. In short, I am willing to pay the $10 permit fee in order to be able to have the sign up in my front yard on a more permanent basis even though the sign is easily removed.


2.) Reasons why I will NOT be asking for a conditional use permit:
Monster Fish Rescue has been registered with the state to eventually be a non profit organization. According to state law an organization seeking non profit “organization” status needs to register its name as an LLC before the process can start. Fred Green is my lawyer and has been in the process of attaining Monster Fish Rescue’s status as a non profit organization. His number is (440) 286-4770.

Monster Fish Rescue is an internet based non profit LLC that I run to rescue fish and reptiles. Ninety-nine percent of these rescues are orchestrated via the internet or by phone. Our home is not open to public traffic. Friends that I have met online do stop by from time to time to view my aquariums as I’ve got a 1500 gallon aquarium that I built myself. This is exactly the time I would like to have the sign out so these people can find the house easily. The last time someone was here dropping off a fish in need of rescue was some time in October of 2008. If a fish or reptile needs to come here it’s because all other options have been exhausted and there’s no other place for it to go. Owners of these fish have driven here from as far away as Long Island New York to ensure their fish will have a proper home. Monster Fish Rescue is not a pet store or any sort of public arena. People simply bring me their fish to give them a good home or to allow me more time to place the fish into an appropriate home. I see no difference between this and someone wanting to take their dog to a farm because they don’t want it any longer or can’t keep it any longer, much like freecycle.org. If you were to walk into our residence you would not see for sale signs on my tanks or price lists or a cash register.

On a side note and to have it on record I was personally offended that the Zoning inspector (Vicki Thomson) insinuated that the dead fish found in the water treatment facility was mine. I am 100% confident that we are not the only residents in the village of Orwell that own aquarium fish. I do not typically dispose of dead fish by flushing them down the toilet. Fish are frozen triple bagged then added to the out going trash early on Tuesday mornings. Although it is common practice for aquarists to flush their dead fish, especially the concerned parent of a child who owns a goldfish that has passed on. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns and please consider the points I’ve made before deciding to shut down my internet non profit LLC on June 16th 2009.

 

[cvermeulen]

Looks good. too bad more of us can't go with you for moral support.

Here's the other thing about this that bothers me: Let's say someone did actually complain... now... don't people have anything BETTER to do? it's not like it's a suburban with no wheels sitting on blocks in your yard, or some kind of morally offensive eyesore. I had a neighbor complain to another neighbor who complained to me about the dandelions on my lawn once. Seriously? Pay attention to your own damn yard people!