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Doug Grow: Once failing Spring Lake Park dome is doing well Page 2 of 3 <br /> Coonce doesn't deny there have been a handful of verbal conflicts. <br /> "When somebody barks at you, some people are going to bark back," <br /> said Coonce. "All we needed was some time to work the kinks out." <br /> But time's running out--fast. <br /> Residents of a townhouse development adjacent to the dome began <br /> complaining to city officials about traffic, noise and parking problems <br /> after the first federation event. City officials responded by sending <br /> inspectors, who found many code violations, including overcrowding <br /> and unsafe fire exits. <br /> The city,Nelson said, quickly moved to write an "amended" use permit. <br /> Coonce said the amendments are complex and financially ruinous. <br /> "We went from having a two-sentence permit into a three-page <br /> dissertation," Coonce said. "They're even telling us how many <br /> employees we have to have there." <br /> The ruinous aspects of the new permit, Coonce said, are the <br /> requirements that new fire-exit doors be installed within 10 days. ("We <br /> can't even get bids in 10 days," Coonce said.) In addition, he said the <br /> federation is being required to provide 150 parking spaces; the current <br /> lot only has room for about 70 cars. And, perhaps most perilous of all, <br /> the amended permit allows a maximum of 300 people inside the dome. <br /> "Unless something changes," Coonce said, "they're effectively shutting <br /> us down," Coonce said. <br /> Coonce said he believes that most of the parking problems have been <br /> solved or are solvable. He also believes that Spring Lake Park has not <br /> had time to realize the benefits that can come from the facility. For <br /> example, he had hoped to work out a deal in which the schools could use <br /> the place on weekdays in exchange for the federation being allowed to <br /> use school parking lots on weekends. He said merchants, too, would <br /> have come to see the benefits. <br /> But it appears the 20th anniversary bash is turning into a bust. If the <br /> federation is forced to sell the property it so joyously bought a few <br /> months ago, the repercussions could be severe. <br /> "This could bankrupt us," he said. "It's so hard to understand. We're <br /> providing a value to the entire state. We're providing a value to Spring <br /> Lake Park, too, but I guess they don't see it that way." <br /> —Doug Grow is at dgrow@startribune.com <br /> fIn Click what ails you. <br /> http://www.startribune.com/stories/465/2832857.html 5/14/02 <br />