Permit

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Martin Hash
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Permit

Post by Martin Hash » Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:46 am

I was coming back from lunch one day when I stopped to admire the progress a workman was making putting a new roof on our 1912 building, The Columbia Arts Center, when I was approached by a man who quietly asked if we had a permit.

“Oh, we’ve got a permit,” I replied smugly.

“I don’t think you have,” countered the man.

I felt pretty sure of myself as I ticked off my fingers, “We’ve got a Building permit, On-Street Parking permit, Waste Water impact fee, Elevator permit – I must ask why we need an Elevator permit to fix a roof but I could wonder the same thing about some of these others – a Safety inspection, a Business license, a Historical review, and a Container permit for the debris.”

I stood there beaming in satisfaction.

“Well, you don’t have the permit I’m talking about,” insisted the man, “because I’m the one who issues it and I’d know.”

The man handed me a violation ticket and his card:
Jeff Easterly
Engineering Technician II
Clark County Department of Transportation
(360) 696-8071

Apparently, we didn’t have a Sidewalk Obstruction permit.

Coincidently, another man approached us. He also handed me his business card. I was still stunned from the encounter with the inspector so I hesitated to take it, expecting the worse. The man said, “Hi. I’m David Kallstrom. I’m a candidate for City Council Position 6. Can I ask you for your vote?”

After some thought, I asked the obvious question, “Do you have a permit to do this?”
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