Village of Monticello says new mosque lacks proper permit

Monticello — With its decorative dome, brick facade, and ornamental fence, the new mosque on Cottage Street stands out as a jewel in a blighted neighborhood. But the mosque has caught the attention of Monticello government officials for a different reason. They said the mosque was illegally converted from a single family house without the necessary permits.

"They need a special-use permit," Monticello Deputy Manager John Barbarite said. "Right now they're not legally allowed to worship in there."

The Argo & Alaudin Corp., owner of the mosque at 33 Cottage St., was granted a building permit on July 21, 2006, to renovate the one-family house located there. A second permit, to convert the house into a mosque, was denied three days later by then Village Manager Richard Sush because only the Planning Board could approve a place of worship in a residential zone.

Undeterred, the owner gutted the house and built the mosque despite non-compliance warnings from the village, officials said. The mosque was finished this September.

"Construction has proceeded without a building permit and without required inspection," Barbarite wrote in an August letter to the owners. "In addition, the mosque has been occupied without a certificate of occupancy."

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan came to an end last week, mosque owners and village officials were both accepting blame for the construction gaffe.

"We didn't do our homework, so we can't blame the village," said Ibro Makovic, a partner in the mosque.

Mosque owners are trying to remedy the situation by going to the Planning Board in hindsight. Their next appearance will be Oct. 27. Barbarite said there will be outstanding issues to solve. According to state law, Barbarite said, the mosque doesn't own enough land for a legal house of worship. The mosque's brick and steel decorative fence was built off its own property, against the village sidewalk, and too close to a fire hydrant.

"The Planning Board could get ticked off because it went this far, and say no to their request," for a special-use permit, Barbarite said. If that happens the village could shut down the mosque, but the building department is holding off on that option, pending the Planning Board outcome, Barbarite said.

The village is also accepting some blame for not stopping the construction. Village officials knew the property owners were converting the home to a mosque, but they never issued a stop work order.

"There was some sensitivity on behalf of the village that maybe they (the mosque owners) didn't know they were doing wrong," Barbarite said.

The mosque, called the Islamic Community Center of Monticello, holds service for about 70 Muslims. Most of the center's faithful are Eastern European, from the former Yugoslavia. They now live anywhere from Brooklyn to Monticello.

They had been worshipping in a store-front mosque in Liberty until their new home in Monticello was finished. The mosque has one prayer room for men and one for women, a kitchen, and a faith learning room for children.

"We liked the quality of the brick building," said mosque partner Ago Kolenovic. "When we came here there were a lot of drug deals in the neighborhood and we were hoping to improve the community."