Community Corner

Hen Raising Topic of Public Forum in Kent

CLUCKent members will host forum March 26 at Lucky Penny Creamery

Members of the Citizens League for Urban Chickens Kent will host an open, public forum March 26 to discuss the in the city.

The forum, titled "People, Poultry and Prosperity: A Discussion of the Proposed Kent Urban  Chicken Ordinance," will be held March 26 at .

The group, otherwise known as CLUCKent, has proposed the city adopt a new ordinance permitting hen raising within city limits. The current city ordinance regarding farm animals, enacted in 1996, requires a minimum lot size of two acres before a resident can raise hens and other animals.

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CLUCKent members took their proposed ordinance to Kent City Council in January. But after hearing a lot of misinformation, and talking about the proposal before asking council to vote on it.

Bethany Snyder, an insurance agent and CLUCKent founder, will be one of the forum panelists.

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"We're supposed to go back to (Kent City Council) in the first week of April," Snyder said. "We wanted folks in the community to have an opportunity to come and ask questions. If they have concerns, to bring those up, and get a sense of what it's like to have a couple of hens in your back yard. So we thought by having an open forum we might be able to get the correct information out there."

Other panelists include John Gwinn, president of the Kent Board of Health and an emeritus professor of biology from the University of Akron. Laurie Wagner, an assistant professor of health education and promotion at Kent State University, also will serve on the panel with Gwinn and Snyder.

Weather permitting, the forum will include presentations on movable hen houses and other hen-raising equipment.

The forum is set for 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lucky Penny Creamery on Temple Avenue off Lake Street.


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