The showdown over a Penhold saloon continues with the town promising it will enforce the big hand of the law.
Penhold man Ken McCarthy built a miniature saloon shed earlier this year but was told to remove the structure after it was denied by the Municipal Planning Commission.
McCarthy made several errors in his application for the structure--which is more than 100 square feet--including referring to the shed as a tourist attraction and building it before undergoing an application and inspection.
He was told to remove the shed by July 31, which he did not do, saying that he had every right to have the structure on his property.
Now, the Town of Penhold will be getting enforcement involved.
On Aug. 23, McCarthy received a letter from Tricia Willis, planning and development officer, saying the matter is now in the hands of local Penhold community peace officers.
Willis declined to comment on the issue.
But Rick Binnendyk, chief administrative officer, said there is a process to be followed, and that is what the town is going to do.
“We're simply following it,” said Binnendyk. “The letter was an enforcement letter. We are looking into enforcement at this time. It's the next step of the process.”
Binnendyk went on to say that after McCarthy's permit was declined, he became noncompliant. This means the next step is enforcement.
The shed has not been forcibly removed and Binnendyk could not comment on when or if it will be.
McCarthy said that he's going to continue to fight for his shed, and is not going to remove it without a battle.
“They've got a fight on their hands if they try to take it down,” he said.
“But I think they're going to back down. Actually, I'm sure of it,” he said, adding that he thinks the issue will die “a natural death.”
McCarthy also said he has already seen peace officers drive by his house and is very friendly to them when they do. “The peace officers drive by all the time and I wave at them,” McCarthy said.
“They know who I am. They wave back.”
McCarthy has not received any correspondence from the Town of Penhold since the Aug. 23 letter.
