Blue Rose Mission effort gets boost from Shelby leaders
Acting on a request from Pastor Garland Harvey, Jr. of Blue Rose Mission, Shelby City Council is waiving a fee required for construction projects, a decision to help those seeking easier access to their homes.
The process started when Councilman Garland Gates received a call from Pastor Garland Harvey Jr., involving the organization’s request to further a wheelchair ramp project.
“My question for the council this evening is, there is a fee that has to be paid for the city of Shelby whenever any kind of construction or something is going on,” Pastor Harvey during his presentation to the council June 5. “And it is a nominal fee, it’s like $10.”
“I called Mr. Gies and asked him if there’s a way to have that fee waived for Blue Rose Mission,” Harvey said in reference to city of Shelby project coordinator Joe Gies.
“I’m the director. It’s a very small mission,” Harvey said. “We have a very small budget, so I’m trying to cut anything out that I can get cut out.”
Harvey was referred to Shelby City Council for consideration of a fee waiver.
The Blue Rose Mission assists individuals who cannot afford home repairs themselves.
“In the case of what’s going on right now, we are building a ramp for a person out on
Broadway,” Harvey said. “In order to do that, I have to go through the city of Shelby, and we also have to go through the county.”
Harvey said he does not wish to circumvent that system whatsoever, “nor do I wish to circumvent the system of inspections.”
Pastor Harvey expressed concern about the accumulating costs associated with constructing multiple ramps throughout the year.
“It’s just that after you start piling a lot of fees on, I have five different ramps that I’m going to try to get built this year,” he said. “Just for the one ramp, I’m looking at over $300 worth of fees through all the different agencies,” he said. “So that’s why I’m inquiring if that fee can be waived.”
Councilman Gates highlighted the historical precedent of waiving fees for not-for-profit agencies.
“Back in the 1980s, it was common practice for the City Council to waive fees for not-for-profit agencies,” recalled Gates, Shelby mayor from 19821988.
Back then, the city of Shelby had its own building department, and it wasn’t just zoning but also building permits and items like that, Gates said.
“Quite honestly, I think that Blue Rose Mission can use their $10 more than the city of Shelby can,” Gates said. He made
the legislative motion that council waive the fee for a conditional zoning permit for a ramp in the 200 block of Broadway.
Shelby Councilman Derrin Roberts seconded this motion. Shelby Mayor Steve Schag opened the floor for discussion.
Shelby City Councilman Charles Roub questioned whether Richland County was willing to waive the building permit fee.
In response, Pastor
Harvey expressed his ongoing efforts to engage with city council members in Mansfield and Richland County commissioners to explore potential waivers.
“I am hoping they do because they are very expensive,” Harvey said of those permits.
Roub told him: “If you can’t get that accomplished, call me.”
Following the discussion, Shelby City Council conducted its roll call vote. The motion passed
with unanimous approval from all five council members.
“Thank you all very much,” said Pastor Harvey, appreciative of the council’s decision.
Blue Rose Mission, an organization dedicated to assisting individuals in need, is undertaking a series of projects to build wheelchair ramps and improve accessibility for individuals facing mobility challenges.
In an interview, Pastor Harvey, the director of Blue Rose Mission, shared insights about its ongoing initiatives and
the impact of the council’s recent decision to waive associated fees.
Blue Rose Mission currently has one ramp project underway in Shelby, with plans for another ramp project in the Madison area of the Mansfield region.
In all, Blue Rose has around five ramp projects in the pipeline, indicating an active summer for the organization.
While primarily focused on ramps, Harvey mentioned a porch renovation project to assist a Shelby woman.
The director expressed
his gratitude for the council’s decision to waive the associated fees, emphasizing the impact it has on the work.
“That was extraordinarily helpful. Every penny counts,” Pastor Harvey said. “They showed us a good measure of grace by allowing us to waive that fee. We deeply appreciate that.”
Such fee waivers enable groups such as Blue Rose Mission to allocate more resources to their projects and reach a greater number of individuals in need.
Harvey
highlighted
the importance of ongoing funding to sustain the group’s mission and expand its impact.
“We repair homes for people who don’t have the funds to do it themselves,” Harvey said.
He spoke of the collaborative nature of the mission’s work.
“We do that by using groups that we try to bring in from wherever they come in from, and then any volunteers that we can get our hands on basically,” he added. “We are looking for funding for that type of thing.”