Zone-violating gazebo is gone
Minister moves on after problem with city ordinance

By Julie Whitehead
Special to The Clarion-Ledger 

The controversial gazebo at 114 W. Lake in Clinton is no longer at the parsonage of Bible Tabernacle Church, and neither is its former resident, the Rev. Stan Wachtstetter.

Wachtstetter said the zoning controversy surrounding the gazebo he built at the parsonage prompted him to begin a new ministry in Attala County.

"The gazebo has been removed," said Clinton zoning administrator Gary Ward, who visited the parsonage last week. The structure was deemed in August to be a zoning violation.

Ward said neighbors contacted his office while he was out of town to let him know the gazebo, which Wachtstetter's son-in-law, Greg Harris, had built for a wedding, was no longer on the property.

Wachtstetter said via e-mail that he left the pulpit of Bible Tabernacle Church Jan. 1 and moved to a 60-acre ranch in Attala County to found Global Interaction Foundation, which Wachtstetter called a racial reconciliation and evangelism ministry.

"We moved out of the parsonage Jan. 1, 2003, and moved the gazebo to our new location where we will be working on various projects to benefit the Mississippi community as well as missions," Wachtstetter said in an e-mail message.

"The problem with the Clinton city ordinance helped us decide to leave that area and relocate to a rural area where we would not be regulated out of business," Wachtstetter wrote.

Ward said he had not followed up on his original letter to Wachtstetter, per the resident's request that no action be taken before a final ruling on the legality of the treehouse on 218 Kitchings Drive, home of Scot and Mary Welch.

Scot Welch said their appeal of the City Council vote to remove their front-yard treehouse was assigned to Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green, with a probable court date this summer.

Mary Welch said the family has spent just under $10,000 since receiving the letter about the zoning violation.

Scot Welch recently went ahead with planned interior work on the treehouse, installing a tile floor, wall board, and a cloud-sky paint treatment on the ceilings, with Mary Welch sewing window curtains featuring SpongeBob Squarepants, a favorite of the Welch's four children. 

"Let them enjoy it," said Mary Welch. "If it's going to be six months (before the appeal), let them play in it for six months."

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