Now THAT was a meeting

Last night's City Council meeting? Whew! Talk about a marathon. At least, it didn't go to midnight.

But almost... The Woodstock Christian Life Services request for a special use permit - or as its able attorney pointed out, a modification to an existing special use permit - ran until about 11:20PM.

It was all too much to report in one article or even briefly, but here are the highlights.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve the special use permit for the entire project, including the demolition of Grace Hall, but subject to certain conditions. Somewhere, somebody is typing up the demolition permit application, probably at this moment. Or perhaps they typed it up earlier this morning.

The conditions basically provide a seven-month period, until the second City Council meeting in April, 2009, for WCLS and the rescuers of Grace Hall to come up with a plan. OK, don't laugh. It could happen. And Sarah Palin could become President. In fact, there is probably a better chance that we'll be seeing President Hockey Mom than see anything but a pile of rubble and lots of dust at 318 Christian Way in 2009.

The shocker of the evening for me was when City Attorney Rich Flood told me, during the City Council meeting and recorded by the City Clerk, that he had sent his young colleague to the Historic Preservation Commission with instructions to counsel the HPC to continue its public meeting the night before. In other words, to postpone testimony by those wishing to address the HPC about a Landmark status application until after last night's City Council meeting.

A letter in the City Council packet for last night's meeting from the WCLS attorney, Mark Gummerson, indicated clearly to the City that any vote on Landmark status by the HPC after approval by the City Council might make the Landmark status application moot.

Well, duh.... And that's exactly what happened. I could see that one coming the night before. It was clever lawyering, which was suggested at the City Council - and bashed down by the Mayor.

Mayor Sager said on September 16 that all avenues to save Grace Hall should be explored. Several Council members spoke about the importance of exploring all avenues and how they felt that all avenues had not been explored.

And then they voted 7-0 to issue the special use permit.

Note to Ralph Webster: you might want to order extra water tankers to control the dust when the wrecking ball starts swinging on May 1st.

Who, me? A pessimist?