User:Acdixon/sandbox

In 1996, AiG petitioned the Boone County government to rezone 40 acres (0.16 km2) of land near the intersection of U.S. Route 42 and Kentucky Route 338 from agricultural to recreational use to facilitate the construction of the Creation Museum.{{cite news |title=Adam vs. the mastodons |newspaper=The Kentucky Post |date=August 31, 1996 |page=4K}} After concerns were raised about the proposed location's proximity to Big Bone Lick State Park, an internationally known geological site, and that AiG's offices and mail order business proposed as part of the museum were inappropriate for the location the Boone County Fiscal Court voted 4–0 against the proposal in December.{{cite news |last=Mead |first=Andy |title=Genesis Park Hearing Evolves Past Zoning |newspaper=The Kentucky Post |date=November 26, 1996 |page=A1}}{{cite news |last=Mead |first=Andy |title=Rezoning Denied for Creationist Museum |newspaper=The Kentucky Post |date=December 11, 1996 |page=A1}} In 1998, requested the rezoning of an alternate {{convert|47|acre|km2}} site south of Interstate 275..{{cite news |last=Huba |first=Stephen |title='Answers' group: We don't want fight |newspaper=The Kentucky Post |date=June 9, 1998 |page=1K}} The Kentucky Post reported that, "The public comments on the proposal steered clear of the religion-vs.-science debate that generated much of the opposition in 1996", but county officials again rejected the re-zoning request out of concern that building public water and sewer infrastructure to support the site would attract further growth to the rural area.{{Cite news|title = National Ministry Gives New Plan for Creationist Museum in Boone|newspaper = Lexington Herald-Leader|agency = Associated Press|date = June 26, 1998|page = B5}}.{{Cite news|last = Harden|first = Crystal|title = Genesis plan is rejected once again|newspaper = The Kentucky Post|date = September 17, 1998|page = 1K}}

The terms of all of the commissioners on the Boone County Fiscal Court expired in January 1999, and the new members of the court agreed to negotiate with AiG regarding their rezoning request.{{cite news|last = Harden|first = Crystal|title = Settlement urged in Boone zoning suit – Ministry was denied change for museum|newspaper = The Kentucky Post|date = January 14, 1999|page = 3K}} They eventually approved changing the designation from residential to public facilities, a lower-impact designation than industrial..{{cite news|last = Harden|first = Crystal|title = Planners ignore report, reject museum|newspaper = The Kentucky Post|date = March 18, 1999|page = 3K}}{{Cite news|title = County Alters Zoning for Creation Museum|agency = Associated Press|newspaper = Lexington Herald-Leader|date = May 9, 1999|page = B4}} In June, a group of property owners near the proposed site sued the Boone County Fiscal Court and AiG, charging that fiscal court commissioners met with AiG officials outside the context of a public meeting and that Commissioner Robert Hay should have recused himself from the vote because he had a conflict of interest, but a judge dismissed the suit in February 2000.{{cite news|last = DeMillo|first = Andrew|title = Citizens Oppose Genesis Museum|newspaper = Lexington Herald-Leader|date = June 4, 1999|page = B1}}{{Cite news|title = Creation Museum Overcomes a Hurdle; Foes Won't Appeal Decision by Judge|agency = Associated Press|newspaper = Lexington Herald-Leader|date = March 7, 2000|page = B2}}