Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/13/1995

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F~q~IBIT A COMMENT ON PERMIT REQUEST Francis Licari 7310 154th Lane NW Ramsay, MN 55303 3/5195 Good afternoon, ' Recently I received a notice of public hearing concerning a request by Patrick McLafferty to obtain a conditional use permit to operate a foster home at his residence. It is to my undersl ~nding that the request is for an additional two youths above the current permit fm the 6 youths living there now. Although I am inot 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 all that is required of him. My family live,~ just across the street at 7310 154th lane. We moved in to our new home last year, ju,~t as Mr. McLafferty did. Soon after, we introduced ourselves, at which time I met host of the boys living there. They were in the process of building an addition to their h~)me 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 ~ot his children, but the youths in his care and that they were building the addition themselves. Living just across the street, I couldn't help but notice the long hours an~ hard work that went into the project. They're almosi finished with the addition now and all of them have accomplished something that th.~y can be proud of. It's something very few young people, or people ' h from any generation, can say t ey have done. A task such a..a 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 assur~ a successful end. Patrick seems to be that kind of person. I have seen tt~ at there is more to Mr. McLafferty's home than simply foster care were he is in char la. 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 mL ch to offer and has obviously dedicated his life to making a difference in the Ii ~es of young people. While talking t( Patrick, he informed me that he had been licensed for up to 8 people in his prev ~us home for many years. Given this, his dedication, and over 16 total years of expErience as a foster parent, I see no reason not to grant to him the permits he has requested. Thank you for ~e opportunity to comment. Sincerely,