Things are quiet these days at the future site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. From the blacktop parking lot at Veals Road and Bradyville Pike — the sole sign of construction — the only sounds are chirping sparrows and the occasional passing car. But mosque leaders hope the sound of construction equipment will soon be heard. They pulled a building permit in late May, are finalizing bids from contractors and hope to break ground sometime in August. After a year of protests, court hearings and a suspicious fire, starting construction will be a relief, mosque leaders said. “I can’t tell you how excited people are to have this,” said Essam Fathy, a Murfreesboro physical therapist who headed the planning committee.
But the attorney for mosque opponents warned Thursday that starting construction is a bad idea. Chancellor Robert Corlew in May dismissed most of the complaints raised by 17 plaintiffs in a 2010 lawsuit against the mosque. The biggest issue in the lawsuit is whether the county Planning Commission violated state sunshine laws when it approved a site plan for the mosque. Joe Brandon, who represents mosque opponents, said he has asked Corlew to reconsider his dismissal ruling. He said that if his clients prevail, any construction work on the mosque would have to be torn down. “They do this at their own peril,” Brandon said.
Jim Cope, Rutherford County attorney, said it was unlikely that any construction work would be torn down even if opponents prevailed. More likely, he said, is that the county Planning Commission would have to hold another meeting regarding the site plan. Because the site is already zoned for religious use, there would be no public hearing or comments on the site plan. “What we’d have in effect is a ‘do-over,’ ” he said.
Finding contractors has gone slowly