Neighbors protest the Sutherland's planned python-breeding farm

MAPLETON - A public meeting was cut short when tempers rose over Dan and Colette Sutherland's plan to move their online ball python breeding business to Mapleton.

Dan Sutherland held an informational meeting at the City Building on Wednesday but was unable to finish his presentation as tempers flared on both sides.
"If you're going to bring snakes here, it's going to be over my dead body," one woman shouted as she stormed out of the meeting.
The issue remains unresolved as the city attorney has said Sutherland will need a conditional-use permit.

The planning commission will consider the permit application at its Sept. 21 meeting.
Residents objected to a commercial enterprise in their neighborhood, but mostly they expressed fear of the snakes - and for their own property values.
"I don't think any of us care about the UPS truck," resident Gwen Warren said. "I'm concerned about the snakes getting out."
Warren said that would be the worst scenario, but the most likely scenario is a decrease in property value.

Dan Sutherland said the couple has never had a snake escape in 16 years of business.
Edward Christensen, who built the Sutherlands' current facility near Palmdale, Calif., and now lives in nearby Elk Ridge, said he dislikes snakes as much as anyone, but vouched for the Sutherlands' operation and their new facility.
"I saw their facility, how meticulous they are," he said. "They're very professional...and I have no fears putting my kids in their house because (the snakes) don't get out."

Some residents and city employees have accused the Sutherlands of being dishonest in the process of applying for permits, which Dan Sutherland denied.
"Our hard part was reading in the paper that we were dishonest and that we were underhanded in this, because we weren't," he said.
After the meeting's abrupt end, city officials invited everyone to move into the City Council meeting and discuss the issue with Mayor James Brady, who said the Sutherlands did all they were asked to do.
"From my knowledge and from the documents I've seen, the Sutherlands have complied with what was requested of them in applying for a building permit and a home occupancy license," Brady said.

The Sutherlands say they have spent $600,000 to relocate to Mapleton. Dan Sutherland has a business license for his commercial snake farm and has built two barns - one for ball pythons and one for the rodents to feed them - on their three-acre site.

The Sutherlands sell the snakes online and ship them to their destinations,
While the matter remains in limbo, Colette Sutherland will stay in California to run the business, and Dan Sutherland will stay in the family's new home with their four children, who began attending school In Mapleton this week.
"We made this move as a family, but now our family is split up," he said.

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Update....

I'll be watching for any further news on the outcome of the meeting.

Snake breeders caged?

Mapleton meeting tonight to decide on python plans

MAPLETON — When they moved from California in August, Dan and Colette Sutherland thought they had the necessary permits to relocate their online ball python breeding business to a barn by their new home.

After neighbors heard about the Sutherlands' plans, however, many in the community began to fiercely protest the commercial nature of the Sutherlands' operation, as well as its slithering product. City officials agreed to look into whether the snake-breeding operation can, indeed, legally operate within the city.

The fate of the proposed snake farm that has caused a public outcry in Mapleton will be decided at 7 p.m. tonight by the city's Planning Commission. The meeting will be at the Mapleton Community Center Building, 125 W. Community Center Way

Dan Sutherland said he prepared a packet outlining his understanding of the law, which he submitted to the Planning Commission. "We believe the laws state we can have our reptiles under a conditional-use permit," he said.

He said his operation never caused an issue with neighbors in California. The fact that snakes were on the site did not make selling the home more difficult, he said.

"What we do does not cause a problem," he said. "It never caused a problem in our old neighborhood. ... You can come on our property and never know what's going on."

Some Mapleton officials said they were misled by Sutherlands to believe that they were only hobby breeders — not commercial ones. The Sutherlands maintain they were upfront throughout the process and obtained the necessary building and business permits.

Mapleton City Administrator Robert P. Bradshaw said conditional-use permits are tailored to individual situations. "There is a flexible limit, but it is governed by city ordinances," he said.

The dispute, however, may have exposed a hole in city ordinances that would allow the snake-breeding business. City code allows the Planning Commission to issue a conditional-use permit that allows the property owner to have one animal unit per half-acre.

The Sutherlands have a 2.75 acre plot, allowing for five animal units.
The problem, however, is that city code has not defined how many snakes make up an animal unit. For larger animals, such as cows and horses, two animals count as one animal unit. For smaller animals, such as chickens or pigeons, 36 animals count as one animal unit. Also, the Mapleton code allows 36 animals per unit for rabbits and "similar small animals."

The question now before the Planning Commission is whether snakes fall into the "similar small animals" category, and if not, what standard applies. The commission will also decide how many rodents, if any, the Sutherlands can keep on site for the purpose of feeding the snakes.

If the permit is approved, the commission can set various conditions, including the types of cages the Sutherlands must use as well as other health and sanitary provisions.

Commission members can also table the application and request further information. Or they could rule that the proposed use of the land does not fall under the conditional-use standard and deny the permit outright.

The commission could also direct the Sutherlands to draw up a plan for recovering escaped snakes, although the experience of animal control officers throughout Utah County suggest that's unlikely.

Officers for Spanish Fork, Provo, Orem and Utah County said most snake calls they receive are for wild snakes, and escaped pet snakes are rarely, if ever, a concern. Such calls generally happen once or twice a year, officers said, though in the case of Orem, they are more along the lines of once a decade.

"Every once in a while we get a boa constrictor that escapes, but we usually end up finding it somewhere around the owner's house," said Provo Animal Control Cpl. Mike Ruiz..

"Keeping animals in Mapleton is going to be a very hard thing to do if we don't win," Sutherland said.
And while Sutherland said his family is committed to staying in Mapleton, and he is hoping the commission will recognize his investment in the city and allow him to proceed, he knows it is a muddy issue.

Asked what he thought his chances of winning are, he said, "I have absolutely no idea."

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Sounds like even if they win they will only be able to keep about 100 animals on the acreage. Thats not even enough for their snakes, let alone breeding rodents for the snakes. Sounds like a lose/lose situation.

I would have loved to see the woman run out yelling "Over my dead body".... I definitly would have just started laughing from the stupidity and fear the average person has. Especially over a small harmless species like a Ball Python.

DAILY HERALD (Provo, Utah) 22 September 06 Mapleton council limits snake farm size (Natalie Evans)
It's time to hibernate, and some of Dan Sutherland's pythons will be allowed to come to Mapleton to do it, though probably not enough to make his business work.
The Planning commission decided Thursday that 212 small animals are allowed. The Sutherlands, moving to the city from California to establish a snake farm, can decide on the combination of animals they bring. Dan Sutherland said the number decided on by the commission isn't enough to run a successful business.
The decision was made in a council room so full that lucky residents who found seats first were asked to give them up for senior citizens.
Resident and local real estate agent Grace Huffaker expressed the concern of several residents.
"I say absolutely everybody's property within a half mile radius and those next door will be drastically affected by this snake farm," she said.
Dan Sutherland approached city officials for the third time Thursday about his proposed business. He brought a Provo exotic animal veterinarian, Yoeny Calas-Dobson, and lawyer Randy Spencer of Spencer Fillmore to speak about the health and ordinance issues, respectively.
The debate stemmed from animal limitations. Snakes as wild animals are allowed as one per animal unit. Small animals, such as rabbits are allowed as 36 per unit. Sutherland said, however, that the pythons are exotic animals and wanted a new definition.
Dogs, koala bears, elk and bunnies were all used as examples to set the definition of how many animals are allowed for the property. Spencer asked that the attorney use a USDA animal unit definition of being a cow and her calf, or 1,000 pounds. He said that waste produced by the snake amounts to one pile of cow manure each week.
"I believe that each animal has to be evaluated on their impact on the environment," Spencer said. "A snake does not have the same impact as a bunny."
The commission decided to use the same number as is allowed for rabbits.
The commission did not address that the Sutherlands did not review their business with neighbors, as is a requirement for both a business license and a home business.
"I've heard some people say that they were not upfront," Mapleton Mayor Jim Brady in a meeting beforehand. "From their e-mail contact with the city it appears they were upfront, at least with the city planner."
Brady said that e-mails and applications between the city and now-resigned city planner Matt Evans started in January.
The baby snakes and mice are not included in the number until the snakes are six months old and the mice are 30 days old.
The Sutherlands' business in California has 1,100 snakes to breed, which have up to 2,000 babies each year. Two barns, one for rodents and one for snakes are built almost to completion in Mapleton.
Property values, security, traffic, health concerns and smell were all worries from residents.
Sutherland said that no odor comes from the snakes and that charcoal filters will be installed to combat any odor.
In regards to property values, the commission decided to continue the item and review residents concerns.

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/194067/

The American people in general are so ignorant and closed minded that it just makes me sad.

I want my own Island.

I do feel for the Sutherlands for the situation they are in. I remember when Pete Kahl ran into some similar problems a few years ago I believe in relation to zoning issues.
This is one of the reason why I do not nor will I ever reside within the city limits of any town. Situations like this are what comes of it.
People revel in their ignorance when it comes to snakes. They are clueless and prefer to remain that way. The people of this town would rather inhibit or even destroy the livlihood of this family rather than have a snake breeding operation in their community despite the fact that I guarantee that no one passing by the residence would have any idea that they were breeding snakes.

Its sad that a responsible family cannot move into a town to continue breeding their snakes in a safe and secure manner, But Child Molestors are able to walk freely, uncategorized to a specific level of offender, for months... ( that means a level 3 offender could be walking around your neighborhood and you wouldnt know it for quite some time) What the hell is WRONG with america and its citizens!?

Mooing Tricycle said:

Its sad that a responsible family cannot move into a town to continue breeding their snakes in a safe and secure manner, But Child Molestors are able to walk freely, uncategorized to a specific level of offender, for months... ( that means a level 3 offender could be walking around your neighborhood and you wouldnt know it for quite some time) What the hell is WRONG with america and its citizens!?

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Great point and well said!!

This is just awful...to read about it made me feel SICK. I feel terrible that the Sutherlands have to go through this.

This is a good example of how far we, as reptile lovers and wannabe conservationists, have to go yet to educate people about the importance of maintaining all species of reptiles, and especially snakes on this Earth and current environmental situation we live in. The way people react to the word "SNAKE" is still so far back in the stoneage it isn't funny. I should be a little more specific, mostly the way older people react, the children are starting to get it. Much work is still needed to educate the ignorant.

Rattlesnake said:

...The way people react to the word "SNAKE" is still so far back in the stoneage it isn't funny...

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you hit the nail on the head with that statement!

Mooing Tricycle said:

Its sad that a responsible family cannot move into a town to continue breeding their snakes in a safe and secure manner, But Child Molestors are able to walk freely, uncategorized to a specific level of offender, for months... ( that means a level 3 offender could be walking around your neighborhood and you wouldnt know it for quite some time) What the hell is WRONG with america and its citizens!?

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The story continues.....

Apparently they're still meeting about it and now plan to make a final decision in October.

Snake wranglers awaiting a decision

Mapleton's snake saga has yet to slither to a final solution.
Three hours of public comment and discussion Thursday night by the Planning Commission about a proposed snake farm culminated with this decision: The city needs more input.

Specifically, planning commissioners will huddle with a state ombudsmen to see what mitigation would be available to neighboring property owners if the city grants a conditional-use permit to California transplants Dan and Colette Sutherland for their python-breeding business.
“That's one of the biggest concerns,” Planning Commissioner Pam Elkington said Friday. “How do you sell your $350,000 home when you've got a snake farm next door?”

City officials and the Sutherlands will meet Oct. 18 with Utah Private Property Ombudsman Craig Call. The Planning Commission is scheduled to make a final decision on the snake farm in its Oct. 26 meeting.
Neighbors aren't the only ones unhappy with where the decision is headed.
The Planning Commission came to an unofficial agreement this week that city ordinances allow the Sutherlands to have up to 212 adult animals on their property - a far cry from the hundreds and perhaps thousands of snakes and rodents (for food) their full operation would carry.
Dan Sutherland could not be reached for comment Friday.
“It was not a win-win,” Commission Chairwoman Barbara

Pratt said of Thursday's lengthy meeting. “Nobody left there happy. The Sutherlands want more, and the others want nothing.”
The Sutherlands moved from Southern California to Mapleton earlier this year with plans to bring their online python-selling business “The Snake Keeper” with them.

They already have obtained a business license from the city and constructed two large barns - one to breed the snakes, the other for the rodents - a few blocks south of the old City Hall.
Dan Sutherland previously said he has invested $600,000 in the Mapleton property, and his children have started attending Mapleton schools.

What's next
Mapleton's Planning Commission expects to make a final decision on the proposed snake farm Oct. 26.

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