Agenda - Council - 03/28/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I COMMENT ON PERMIT REQUEST Francis Licari 7310 154th Lane NW Ramsey, MN 55303 3/5/95 Good afternooa, Recently I received a notice of public hearing concerning a request by Patrick McLafferty to ol~)tain a conditional use permit to operate a foster home at his residence. It is to my under'standing that the request is for an additional two youths above the current permit ~r the 6 youths living there now. Although I a~ not familiar with all the conditions and regulations involved in licensing a foster home, after talking to Patrick about the matter, i believe he is willing to comply with a~ll that is required of him. My family lives just across the street at 7310 154th lane. We moved in to our new home last year, ~ust as Mr. McLafferty did. Soon after, we introduced ourselves, at which time I meI most of the boys living there. They were in the process of building an addition to their nome the size of which is larger than my entire house. He told me the addition was needed because he was involved in foster care and the young men helping him were~ not his children, but the youths in his care and that they were building the addison themselves. Living just across the street, I couldn't help but notice the long hours arid hard work that went into the project. They're almo~ finished with the addition now and all of them have accomplished something that they can be proud of. It's something very few young people, or people from any generatipn, can say they have done. A task such a8 this can only be accomplished with a lot of dedication, teamwork, mutual respect, arid equally important, a leader to organize and motivate those involved, to assure a successful end. Patrick seems to be that kind of person. I have seen that there is more to Mr. McLafferty's home than simply foster care were he is in charge. He interacts with the young men as an equal, not as a temporary parent, but as a friend, giving them a sense of belonging, pride, and responsibility. Patrick has mush to offer and has obviously dedicated i~is life to making a difference in the I~es of young people. While talking to !Patrick, he informed me that he had been licensed for up to 8 people in his previous home for many years. Given this, his dedication, and over 16 total years of exper!ence as a foster parent, I see no reason not to grant to him the permits he has requ. ested. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Sincerely,