I wanted to share some of my thoughts regarding the recent article about the appeal of the Rockport Library building permit filed by Mr. Earle and some of the comments which followed.

 

George Benson makes excellent points in the article and I am confident that our ZBA will move forward cautiously but deliberately with the advice of our town attorney. 

 

The question is asked "who will pay for this?" and the answer is “it depends.”

 

The ZBA is made up of volunteers and our town attorney's  contract generally covers routine issues such as this appeal.  If the appeals process ends up going into the courts, which I hope it won't, then those services are not covered by the attorney's contract and the Rockport taxpayers will be liable for the costs.

 

With regard to Mr. Earle, let's not forget that any citizen who owns property in Rockport has the right to appeal any decision made by the planning board if they feel aggrieved by that decision.  That is why we have the ordinances and  statutes to protect all of us from overreach by government. 

 

In this case, it is my opinion that our planning office and code enforcement office acted appropriately in issuing the permit, and I wish that we did not have to go through the appeals process, but Mr. Earle is acting within his rights. 

 

In the end, the process will be followed, and the right decisions will be made.