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Freedom festival citations upheld

By Steve Ferris 3 min read

The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board upheld two citations filed against William D. Pritts for holding a weekend-long “Freedom Festival” and a “Snake Oil Medicine Show” last year at his Church of Universal Love and Music in Acme. The board voted to deny Pritts’s appeals of both citations on Wednesday. Pritts did not attend the hearing.

County zoning officer Lloyd “Buddy” Eicher testified that he issued an Aug. 3 citation because Pritts held a “Freedom Festival” on the July 4th weekend in 2004, and an Aug. 31 citation after Pritts held the “Snake Oil Medicine Show” concert on July 11, 2004.

The citations were issued because Pritts’s 147-acre property is zone for agriculture use and not for conducting commercial recreational activities and he had not applied for a special zoning exception, Eicher said.

Pritts also failed to comply with cease and desist orders posted on his property before the events, Eicher said.

Pritts did apply for a special exception in 2004, but the ZHB denied that request.

Eicher said the citations were filed after residents complained about the events.

“Numerous complaints from neighbors and (Bullskin) township supervisors,” Eicher said.

He estimated that he has cited Pritts 25 times over the years for holding concerts on his Bear Rocks Road property without the necessary special exception, and posted at least four cease and desist orders on the property.

He cited Pitts for holding a “PA Potluck’ event May 13-15 this year and vowed to cite him again if he proceeds with his plans for another Freedom Festival this July 4th weekend.

The Potluck event and Freedom Festival are advertised on Pritts’s church website, Eicher said.

He said he called a phone number for tickets listed on the website Wednesday morning and asked how much it would cost for four people to attend the upcoming Freedom Festival.

A woman answered and said it cost $240 for four people for the weekend, he said.

Pritts’s property has been zoned for agriculture since at least 1968 and he needs a special exception or has to have the property rezoned for business use to host concerts there, Eicher said.

He applied to have the land rezoned twice over the years, but the ZHB denied both requests.

“I couldn’t tell you how many enforcement notices we’ve sent,” Eicher said before estimating that 25 were sent.

After the ZHB voted to uphold the citations, board vice chairman Dennis Nurkiewicz inquired about what the county office of planning, zoning and community development plans to do if Pritts continues to hold concerts and festivals.

Solicitor Sheryl Heid said the office will continue to cite him, but she is investigating other remedies.

In other business, the ZHB approved setback and parking variances that Stephen Poorman requested to build a new Dollar General store in Masontown at the corner of South Washington Street and West Cross Avenue where a Dollar General was destroyed in a September 2004 fire.

Poorman owns the lot, which is zoned for business, but did not attend the hearing,

Engineer Christopher W. Hamm said the new building will measure about 9,300 square feet so it needs 92 parking spaces according to the county zoning ordinance.

He requested a variance for 38 spaces.

Setback variances were needed because the new building – like the old building – will butt against the curb along West Cross Avenue and be closer to South Washington Street and Canon Lane than the ordinance required.

Hamm said the old building did not meet the setback requirements in the ordinance.

Store manager Renee S. Dorsey also attended the hearing.

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