SAN ANGELO, TX — Friday, The Bishop Street Boot Camp Ranch, a ministry for men trying to turn their lives around, received a letter from attorney James C. Skinner of San Angelo law firm Smith Rose Finley demanding the ministry cease operations on the land the Christian non-profit purchased.
The ministry purchased three tracts of land in the Dove Creek Subdivision southwest of San Angelo in March 2016. The organization is using their land, and the existing home that was there when purchased, to operate the ministry. Currently, up to eight men are housed in the residential home. See “Dove Creek Residents Demand Removal of Home for Wayward Men.”
The Dove Creek Homeowners Association has an Architectural Control Committee that enforces compliance with the association’s by-laws.
Above: The $20,000 gate marks the entrance to the expanded Bishop Street Boot Camp Ranch in the Dove Creek subdivision southwest of San Angelo. The sign pictured above was removed recently, the Boot Camp said, because they were informed it was a lightning rod for the Boot Camp's opposition group. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)
“The Architectural Control Committee (ACC) hereby demands that the business, the Bishop Street Boot Camp (Ranch), cease to operate on your property and that all non-family members vacate the premises,” Skinner’s letter states. He demanded the actions be taken before July 24, giving the ministry one month to comply.
Skinner warned, “[T]he ACC will pursue other legal remedies available at law and in equity” if his demands were not met.
How the Boot Camp came to purchase the land in the Dove Creek Subdivision facing the exterior perimeter road, Knickerbocker, was because of the ACC’s support for purchase in the first place, argued Leslie Smith, the real estate agent who put the deal together. Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Boot Camp.
According to Smith, when Bishop Street made an offer on the property, that offer was contingent upon the ACC’s approval. She said the February 2016 meeting had at least three witnesses and the full scope of the Boot Camp’s plans for the land was discussed. Those plans included constructing more buildings to house up to 24 people on the tract, contended Bryan Pilgrim, director of the Boot Camp.
With no objections from the ACC, Pilgrim and his board moved forward with the land purchase. The minutes for the ACC meetings are not kept separately, but summaries of their meetings are published in the Dove Creek Gazette, a monthly newsletter mailed and emailed to Dove Creek homeowners. We could not find a copy of the February or March 2016 Gazettes to verify permission was granted.
Some Dove Creek residents became alarmed when a ranch gate was constructed facing Knickerbocker Road naming the spread “Bishop Street Boot Camp Ranch.” An informal meeting was held May 30 that about 80 residents of Dove Creek attended at the home of Theresa Evans. At that meeting, a committee opposing the Boot Camp was formed and a spokeswoman named.
The informal group’s committee publicized the June 7 regularly-scheduled meeting of the Dove Creek Homeowners Association and about 100 residents attended, with standing room only overflowing outside into the gravel parking lot of the Dove Creek VFD building.
Kirk Palmer, president of the homeowners’ association, tried to maintain order as the gathering turned into mob rule, with many demanding action to be taken to shut down the Boot Camp. At the end of the meeting, Palmer promised to consult an attorney about how to proceed shutting it down. There was no vote by the board approving Palmer's proposed action.
Prior to the letter from the ACC’s attorney Friday, the ACC sent a letter with more detailed demands and questions of the Boot Camp. The letter was in response to the receipt of drawings the Boot Camp submitted to the ACC for its proposed additional building. “What you are proposing with the submission of the above mentioned forms is not consistent with the nature of this subdivision and could change the dynamics of our community,” the letter stated.
The letter was signed by just three of the five members of the ACC. Lee and Lisa Campbell, who were attacked at the June 7 meeting for their support of the Boot Camp, did not sign the letter. It was signed by ACC members Mitch Brininstool, his wife, T.J., and Jason Singleton.
On May 25, before the informal group protesting the Boot Camp was organized, Lisa Campbell of the ACC emailed Julie Pilgrim, Bryan’s wife.
“Quit stressing,” she wrote. “Tell Bryan I need a septic permit as soon as possible. Your builder will help you with it. We are all on board. Facebook allows an individual to be an, excuse the French, “a**holes” behind your back. I am done with them. We are not talking with anyone anymore. We will move quickly but I need the septic tank permit. We are with you and we are not the only ones,” Campbell wrote.
Word also reached the Pilgrims that after the June 7 meeting, the sign at the entrance to the Boot Camp was a lightning rod for the detractors of the ministry. The Boot Camp’s board chairman Bryan Johnson, who owns an oil field services company, sent out a welder to cut the words “Bishop Street Boot Camp Ranch” out of the top of the gate. It took four hours to accomplish. “We’re trying to be good neighbors,” Bryan Pilgrim said of the sign removal.
The gate still stands. Attorney Skinner demands the Boot Camp remove it, too. The ACC never approved the gate, he wrote them.
The Dove Creek residents organized to banish the Boot Camp have taken over a closed Facebook group that ACC member Singleton co-maintains. The group, until the controversy of the Boot Camp emerged, was for Dove Creek neighbors to share information about lost and found dogs and cats. Now the group is battle command central to get rid of the Boot Camp. Residents not in agreement with the actions taken against the Boot Camp have been kicked out.
The home address of a Dove Creek resident who reported on the controversy as a news reporter was posted in that group on the same day the group’s co-maintainer sent the author a private message on Facebook. “We will remember,” wrote Kendall Wadsworth in the message to me on Facebook.
Palmer mentioned the closed Facebook group at the June 7 meeting, in response to the mob’s objections to covenants allegedly broken by the Boot Camp.
“A good portion of the posts in that group are about lost dogs running around in our neighborhood. If you go read the covenants and restrictions for Dove Creek, its specifically says you cannot have any animals running loose. Now, you want me to go enforce that? It will be a firestorm out here if we go to that extreme,” Palmer said.
What will the Pilgrims and the Boot Camp do? "Stand here and fight," Pilgrim said. "The Lord wouldn't back down."
Attempts to contact Kirk Palmer or the Campbells were unsuccessful.
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Comments
This is Kendall Wadsworth. Joe Hyde is the most incompetent "journalist" I've ever encountered. First of all, HE contacted ME personally on facebook because he didn't like my comment saying that his original story was ridden with inconsistencies (which it was.) I asked him not to contact me any more, which he did...multiple times, and I ultimately had to block him. I did not post his address on the Dove Creek page, and I removed it when he requested it be removed. HE is a despicable person and a pot stirrer. I hated to even dignify this with a comment, but since he put my name in this garbage, I thought I'd better add some truth to it, since it so frequently seems to evade Mr. Hyde.
- Log in or register to post comments
Permalink- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkYes, pretty much exactly how I remember and described it. Thanks for confirming!
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkI don't live anywhere near Dove Creek but I fully support the residents concerns about this supposed "Ministry"..... What you've got out there is a bunch of drunks, drug addict criminals. If these people pushing for this "Ministry" really want to try and waste their time reaching out to these thugs, they should take their pulpit into the County Jail and preach to them from there because that's either where their clientele are housed, or where they have been housed........
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkHere is the ACTUAL story from the Dove Creek Owners perspective: We are a friendly and kind neighborhood of families, retired people, and every day folks. We have a list of covenants we are all asked to follow (everything pertaining from dumpsters not being in the right of way to no multiple family dwellings on our properties, to no unapproved businesses.) Someone posted in our neighborhood facebook page (where we mostly post lost dogs and weather alerts) asking if anyone knew what the new boot camp was and when it was approved by our ACC. From there many questions were raised (as I think would be in any neighborhood.) Julie Pilgrim was added to the page to answer questions, and everyone was cordial to her. She declined to answer any of our questions, and instead left the group. This felt very odd to us, but, I've not heard of anyone who personally has any disregard for the Pilgrims or the Boot Camp, rather a desire for transparency and consistency. For most of us, it is not THE BOOTCAMP, but rather the ACC and the enforcement of the rules out here that is in question, as people have received cease and desist letters over barns, fences, etc and essentially a rehab facility wanting to house 32 men is being built under our noses, and nothing is said. THIS is the actual issue. This is not an attack on a poor Christian couple trying to do good. This is a request for clarification of covenants and consistency.
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkI would love to meet doctor ding bat and Mr. Wadsworth at church Sunday morning the 9th of July You should join me. Respond and I will let you know what church and what sit .I will save you a spot by me. This is not a supposed Ministry. It's a blessing from God and a gift that there are people who see the good in everyone. We are all born equal. As we get older we make choices. Some choices don't turn out so good.Then some choices you make to your so called advantage t are lies and lies are sins so lets list a few and see which ones YOU are guilty of. #1 The speed limit is 30, you drive 40. Your broke the law you just did not get caught this time. #2 You added a few write offs to your income tax. No problem they will never catch you, right? Maybe not, but you lied. That choice was not so good. Back when you were a kid and the legal age to use alcohol or tobacco was 18 or 21 and you used it before then and did not get caught by the cops or your parents. Good for you. Your lied and broke the law. Ever tried and illegal drug? No everyone has not but I know for a fact that some in Dove Creek have so don't lie Ever told a little white lie? Of course you have. Everyone has Guess what? Your not perfect either .Do you sometimes or have you ever had to much alcohol ? For some of those guy they did too. It got out of hand and they realize they wanted a better life. They do not need to be in jail. They need a place to live, work, and attend the church of there choice without any criticism from people like you who are retired or who work , who were conceived and born just like the rest of us, who live, pay taxes breathe the same air as you and die just like you and put there clothes on the same way you do every day. You, me and all the rest of us are not any better than they are. So do not dare tell me every choice you have ever made has been the RIGHT choice. If you do I will call you a liar. No one except Jesus has ever made the right choice there whole life! We are human not perfect. These men are not thugs. They have a strict schedule, bible study, prayer time, jobs,plus working on the ranch, washing there on clothes, cooking, being mentors to others and always attending church! Bet most men cannot say they do all those things every day. Unless you are a solid Christian man those men will know more about the Bible than the average man or woman off the street including myself. These men are not on probation or parole. They are not under any court order to stay there. If they chose to leave they can. Julie and Bryan are very busy people. I doubt they have time to be on social media very much. To my knowledge, Bryan still has his own business so he works. Then him and the other men still take care of the property .As for Mr. Wadsworth, I can only guess the ACC is the committee for Dove Creek. After all I have read the citizens were aware of what was being built there and what the land was being purchased for before it was done. Just because it had the word BOOT CAMP in it some misunderstood it. Maybe it should of been named Bishop Ranch. No one would of questioned that name. Your post mentioned the facebook page for Dove Creek talked about dumpsters and lost pets. You also mentioned people in Dove Creek (some of them) are retired and I know a lot of them still work. I am sure all of you spent good money on the property you bought and I know good money was spent paying for the property so these men would have a place to have a better life. They have not and are not bothering you or causing you any problems. Maybe you need to take time to visit with them or offer to help them and not stand around and ask a bunch of stupid questions about there past. You would be surprised what you could learn from some of the people. God always has a plan. Maybe you should tune in.
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkMs Wadsworth really made her case when all she had was to resort to name calling. At least Joe didn't respond, "I know you are, but what am I?" They are just coming across as a bunch of clueless hotheads getting their panties in a wad over anything that is not status quo. I've known several guys out of prison that have given their lives to the Lord and turned around to be the kind of guys we look up to.
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkThe ACC in Dove Creek is a joke. They want to charge you hundreds of dollars a year for doing nothing. I hope this boot camp gets to stay. What is so wrong with trying to rehabilitate people? Dove Creek is just full of people who don't have real jobs and just want to find something to complain about. Get a life people.
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkRB. Why should the Ministry have thought about choosing somewhere else to settle in? It was land, it was for sale, Dove Creek Committee knew what it was for as previously stated and unless you know your better than someones else then think again. They have the same rights as the rest of us. They have live, shop, buy, visit , go to church and pay taxes where they choose too. There are not contaminated with any dreaded disease so what's the problem.
- Log in or register to post comments
PermalinkPost a comment to this article here: