Wish me luck!

[jimnyc]

Tonight I go in front of the town board to address many concerns pertaining to the road I live on. Suffice to say, it boils down to illegal parking, speeding cars, people tossing their garbage, road isn't wide enough for 2 vehicles to to parking alignment, road not up to code... and did I mention this is a dead end road I live on?

Although it's a dead end road, with a sign designating as much as you enter my street, and copies of the building departments latest land surveys still show it as a dead end, it's no longer a dead end. The adjacent apartment complex, years back, just decided to dig up the hill at the end of the road and make it into what they are now calling a "driveway". Yes, they have a parking lot at the bottom of this hill which is private property, which also has an exit on the other side to the busiest highway in our town. Now approximately 500-600 cars per day speed down our road, down this driveway, through the private parking lot and out to the highway. The township states that the hill is private property and they were entitled to do as they wish with it. They further state that even though the driveway is private, they are entitled to allow anyone they like to use this private road - leading to the majority of our complaints. How a private building can turn a township owned dead end road into a publicly accessible through way is beyond me.

Adjacent to the parking lot at the bottom of the "dead end" is our local elementary school where my son goes to school. A few hundred children and parents walk this road daily going to and from school, and therefore must compete with speeding cars and a dead end road driveway that gets as much traffic as grand central station. When going down the hill, which is only enough to handle one car per time (which is why horns are beeping all day and night), you cannot see around the bend and must proceed with caution - and the same scenario exists for drivers coming up the hill. Now, if they have trouble seeing other cars and must honk their horns to avoid accidents - what does that say to the safety of the children going back and forth to school?

Anyway, there are 7 houses on our road and all of us are attending this evening, but I am to address the town to open the meeting with a prepared speech. I'm not very good at speaking in front of crowds!!! LOL I'm sure I'll turn bright red, jumble my words and be a bit shaky in the hands. But I am fed up and beyond furious. I can easily imagine being tossed from the meeting for losing my cool. They've been giving us the run around for over 10 years now. But even worse, 2 of the home owners have been here for 40 and 38 years respectively. They have complained to the town about a ton of issues over the past 4 decades and never saw anything done to improve this road. That makes me wonder if they really give a shit to begin with.

My Mom is afraid I'll end up in jail! LOL I have no desire to do anything to get arrested, but I'll be damned if I won't fight this and at least have my voice heard and put into the public record. Nothing like spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home that you thought was on a quiet dead end street only to find out later that the road is a damned nightmare.

Ok, better save my rambling for the town board. They've heard me LOUD and CLEAR over the past few months with my non-stop investigating, prodding, emails, phone calls.... They'll be waiting for me, and I'm prepared.

[Binky]

You'll do fine Jim....Speak as you do to us and from your heart. Let us know how it turns out....

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,


1. Good Luck old buddy!!!
2. And kick ass!!!!
3. Wave your hands around in the air for special effect!!!!
4. This always freaks em out!!!
5. Have a message, like a preadher would.
6. Start out slow and methotical, then pick up the pace, like your a raving lunatic,...!!!!


*This is when you wave you hands and arms in the air*



7. They will at least remeber you, and have to do what you say.:dance:
8. Make a *Post Card* saying, *Fix The Damn Street*.
9. Have two people hold it up behind you while you talk/rant.:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[Mr. P]

I along with all my neighbors fought the state and city once..It was futile.

But they knew we were pissed! They did what they wanted anyway.

I fought the local school board once along with hundreds of other folks.

They did what they wanted to do too..Then we voted ALL the bastards OUT! :thumb:

[BoogyMan]

Best of luck for a good and persuasive speech!

[Kathianne]

Jim, if school is a safety concern I hope you have a letter from the principal. If not and you get turned down, come at them next month with that letter and petition from all the voters at the school, the ones that are walking their kids to school!

[Abbey Marie]

Jim, if there is an accident after you have put them on notice about the safety issues, the township is especially screwed. I hope someone mentions that.

[Joyful HoneyBee]

Jim, if there is an accident after you have put them on notice about the safety issues, the township is especially screwed. I hope someone mentions that.

Unfortunately, that's what it often takes before sensible action is evoked.

It sounds like someone wasn't thinking clearly in the first place to have put a school at the end of a dead end residential road. Some civil engineer(s) need their license(s) revoked.

[SassyLady]

About 15 years ago the county decided to put a 200 million gallon wastewater holding pond on the 32 acres across the street from our community. We didn't know very many people out here but decided to walk from door to door to let everyone know what they were doing.

Lo and behold.....my husband and I became the liaisons to the County for a very large group of residents....called our organization Citizens for Rural Rights. It took us two years of attending every county supervisor's meeting and the local township meetings in order to get them to abide by their orginal EIR .... which was to have several smaller holding ponds.

The reason the county was interested in the property is that it only had one little house on the property and it was rented out by the owner who lived on the other side of the country. However, she didn't want to sell to the county....it was more like a eminent domain thing.

I can remember, Jim, the first time we attended one of those public hearings. Each landowner was allowed to speak for three minutes........for each address. Well, we have two addresses (rental house out front) and my husband and I own it with my brother.........so there are three of us times two........which is 18 minutes. Both my brother and husband gave their minutes to me so I had plenty of time to read the Board the riot act!!

We also collected donations from everyone and put the money in a bank account and put a lawyer on retainer.........this definitely got the county's attention. We finally won our case and forced them to look elsewhere, AND, had them put it in writing that they would never look at that piece of property again in support of future developments or whatever.

Three years ago someone leased the property and put in a vineyard.....everyone here breathed a huge sigh........because we know the county will not eminent domain this guy's vineyard.

Good luck Jim........it feels good to be a political activist and let the government wonks know that we will take a stand if they don't start listening.

[glockmail]

:popcorn:

[jimnyc]

Well, I didn't get arrested and stayed for the entirety of the meeting. I was in fact commended by the board for my letter, and by fellow residents. Unfortunately, it would appear the issues are falling on deaf ears and each party is blaming one another. The board states our road is public, the driveway, is private, another alternate highway they cut through to is state owned, they cannot lower speed limits, speed bumps can cause accidents...blah, blah, blah.

My next step is to contact the homeowners association for the condos across the street, and also try and communicate with their insurance company to bring up liability issues. At any rate, here is the text of what I read aloud so you can see my frustration, of course with identifying info redacted (the words within quotations I just entered now to make the redacted parts more understandable):


10 years ago my wife and I purchased a home on **** Road. We envisioned a quiet dead end road as a great place to live and start a family. Of course we knew it was a dead end, as told to us by our realtor, and by the dead end sign at the top of the road which is still in place as of today. While we did our due diligence and inspections of the property that we purchased, we had little reason to investigate the entirety of our road to determine the validity of the dead end. The Township did that for us via the dead end sign.

Of course it wasn't long before we realized cars were driving down the road and disappearing down a hill. It also wasn't long before we realized that cars parked illegally morning, noon and especially at night. We decided to contact the Township about the issues, specifically Valerie *****(town supervisor), a few years after we moved in and realized that the situation was growing worse, and more dangerous. We were then invited to a Township Traffic Committee Meeting in approximately 2001.

We voiced our concerns at this meeting and received a few answers. The police department liaison advised us that we should call the police if we saw illegally parked cars, and also stated he would see if he could increase the enforcement on the road. The idea that we should call daily about illegally parked cars was repeated to us various times over the years by officers we voiced our complaints to who came out when we called. It was explained to us why and how the parking situation came to be, and that they were aware of the lack of parking, and would investigate the issue and see if anything could be done to alleviate the issue. We were informed that the dead end road used to be a plane old hill years ago, that trucks and jeeps started cutting up and down the hill, creating a dirt road, and ultimately it was paved. We were further told that the adjacent apartment complex, ***** Acres, had more tenants and vehicles than they did parking spots. We explained our frustration with the non-stop traffic, honking of horns & safety issues that came along with this driveway. We were told that this would also be investigated to see if anything could be done to alleviate the issue.

We have called the police department, on an endless amount of occasions, to report illegally parked vehicles. As a result, quite a few feuds ensued and all it did was build animosity between residents of **** Road and residents of ***** Acres. We have had garbage thrown on our lawn by those we called on, which I witnessed first hand and reported. I've also had 2 gentlemen since then make threats to me, only to have them deny any confrontations with us when the police were called to assist. Pitting neighbor against neighbor in an attempt to curb the illegal parking has only caused increased animosity and has had little to no effect on the actual problem.

As to the driveway at the end of our dead end road, nothing whatsoever has been done to correct this issue since our first meeting with this board. I was advised by several police officers to contact Stephen ***(town administrator) of the township if we wanted to voice our complaints. Calls to his office were never returned and 2 letters I sent were never answered. The volume of traffic utilizing this driveway has only increased over the past 10 years. Honking horns can still be heard throughout the day and the middle of the night. Children and parents that are still under the belief that this is a dead end road face increasingly dangerous situations from the cars speeding down the road and up and down the driveway - which is a major walkway for children and parents walking to the ******(elementary school, where my son attends) School. The ownership of the Trader Joe's property has closed down their parking lot to parents dropping off and picking up their children from school. The **** School sent out a notice that the rear gate to the school would be closed and they were working on a fix to the increased volume of traffic to the appropriate entrance to the school. Since both of these notifications, cars have went back to utilizing the Trader Joe's parking lot to drop off and pick up their children. The gate at the rear of the school is now open during the morning and afternoon hours so that parents can utilize it once again.

I recently visited the Township Building Department to find out more information about the dead end road. I asked for a copy of the "street opening permit" that the township applied for and received when this road was paved and opened to public traffic. After investigating all their records, I was told that it doesn't exist as it was private property owned by **** Acres and it was they that paved the driveway and opened it to the public. I asked for a copy of the work submitted/received by them when they applied to open this road. Again, after investigating, I was told that no such permits were ever applied for or received. I was then shown the latest land survey for our area, which includes **** Road. The land survey still shows **** Road as a dead end. I asked how a private entity could just one day build a driveway without any permits and then allow non-stop public access to this driveway. I was told that since it was their property, that they were entitled to allow anyone they wished to utilize their driveway. As Stephen *** was not present at the time, I was told that they would further look for records and answers and get back to me. I left my full name and phone number, but have yet to be notified of any findings.

Also, no corrections have been made that would fix the zig zagged parking issue. The only correction made since our first meeting was having an approximately 30 foot yellow box applied in front of the sole fire hydrant on our road. This did nothing to deter the illegal parkers and it was only a matter of days before 3 cars in succession parked illegally, and the third was parked completely inside the fire box blocking the hydrant. I called the police who came out and issued standard parking citations to the 3 vehicles. I asked about the towing of vehicles that block fire hydrants and was told the township had no ordinance on record that allowed the towing of vehicles on our road. I then asked if an additional ticked was going to be issued for parking within a fire zone. The officer told me that it was up to the discretion of the officer whether or not to issue tickets, and due to the lack of parking for the residents of ***** Acres he was not going to issue the citation. I was always under the impression that laws were laws and that the job of the police was to uphold such laws. Allowing lawbreakers to get away with their crimes will not do much to deter their actions.

I have since spoken with many of our neighbors about this issue and how we could work together to bring forth a resolution that would make our street safer for our families and children, to alleviate the traffic issue and to alleviate the illegal parking. 2 of them have told me that they have fought this battle previously and brought their concerns to Mrs. ***** and the Traffic Committee. They too were told that that issue would be investigated for a resolution, only to never see it come to fruition and no further communication from the Township.

With all that said, we are here before you this evening not to have our concerns addressed leaving other residents out in the cold, but rather to find amicable resolutions to the safety issues first and foremost. And secondly to work together in finding a resolution for those who park on **** Road, where parking exists legally and does not impede traffic and cause undue hardship to the local homeowners.

[SassyLady]

Well, I didn't get arrested and stayed for the entirety of the meeting. I was in fact commended by the board for my letter, and by fellow residents. Unfortunately, it would appear the issues are falling on deaf ears and each party is blaming one another. The board states our road is public, the driveway, is private, another alternate highway they cut through to is state owned, they cannot lower speed limits, speed bumps can cause accidents...blah, blah, blah.

My next step is to contact the homeowners association for the condos across the street, and also try and communicate with their insurance company to bring up liability issues. At any rate, here is the text of what I read aloud so you can see my frustration, of course with identifying info redacted (the words within quotations I just entered now to make the redacted parts more understandable):

Wow ... Jim, this is very articulate and respectul. Very impressive.

Were you the only one there from your community? We had to set up a "rotating attendance" schedule where we signed up for certain meetings so that the same people weren't the only ones showing up. And, when we knew there would be media there for some other "issue" we made sure to show up with signs to hold up. We also invited our country supervisor to one of our community meetings to explain to us why the county was ignoring the original EIR....and to hear our concerns. That way, when he saw our faces in the crowd he had to look us in the eye because we had met him personally.

We actually had several potlucks to discuss our strategies. I also made it a point to get to know a little bit about each councilman at the town and our county supervisor. We did lots of research and came to the meetings with our own solutions ........ which gave them something to actually work on rather than asking them to figure it out. We found several alternate pieces of land and landowners willing to take the treated water.......it was hard work, but we found that just showing up and complaining got us no where fast.

What do you think would be a win-win situation for everyone?

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,




Well, I didn't get arrested and stayed for the entirety of the meeting. I was in fact commended by the board for my letter, and by fellow residents. Unfortunately, it would appear the issues are falling on deaf ears and each party is blaming one another. The board states our road is public, the driveway, is private, another alternate highway they cut through to is state owned, they cannot lower speed limits, speed bumps can cause accidents...blah, blah, blah.

My next step is to contact the homeowners association for the condos across the street, and also try and communicate with their insurance company to bring up liability issues. At any rate, here is the text of what I read aloud so you can see my frustration, of course with identifying info redacted (the words within quotations I just entered now to make the redacted parts more understandable):




1. Too tame.
2. I was bored to sleep my mon!
3. I told you you gotta get radical mon!
4. Come unhinged!
5. Lemme see,..here's what I would of said,......



6. When I moved here to this city, I knew you ass munchers would ruin my street, and this city, for me and my family, and I knew you, were always going to *F* me good, and you have, and I know for a fact you bastards, won't be listening to anything I have to say about the damn road problem you created by allowing the, ***Acres Apts to have egress to the road, without calling for a reforerndom.
7. I'm going to tell you straight up, if you don't block that *F*ing egress from the Apts, to the road, we will sue your freaking ass in 10 days. (Waving hands in air)
8. We have a lawyer ready to file suit, we will sue you for loss of property value, and peace of mind, endangerment to the children, etc, etc,...and if a child gets hurt,..oh boy, I wouldn't want to be you bastards,...
9. You bastards think we won't, okay, you hide and watch, we are going to stuff this whole thing up your collective asses.
10. Then we are going to raise such a stink about this, we are going to get all you dumb bastards thrown out of office.
11. I'm done!!!!!!
12. Ofcourse you better have a lawyer in the wings, with the green light on,...if they don't cave into your demands.


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[Mr. P]

Well, I didn't get arrested and stayed for the entirety of the meeting. I was in fact commended by the board for my letter, and by fellow residents. Unfortunately, it would appear the issues are falling on deaf ears and each party is blaming one another. The board states our road is public, the driveway, is private, another alternate highway they cut through to is state owned, they cannot lower speed limits, speed bumps can cause accidents...blah, blah, blah.

My next step is to contact the homeowners association for the condos across the street, and also try and communicate with their insurance company to bring up liability issues. At any rate, here is the text of what I read aloud so you can see my frustration, of course with identifying info redacted (the words within quotations I just entered now to make the redacted parts more understandable):

I had a city Council chairman tell me they couldn't install speed bumps...blah,blah....

Guess what? A yr after I moved I drove past the old place and OMG speed bumps!!!

It can be done.

[Abbey Marie]

Delaware is the land of speed bumps. I have yet to see an accident caused by one.

Jim, can you get the local news involved?

[glockmail]

It seems to me that the apartment complex is liable here. All that traffic on their lot isn't doing their property values, or their pavement, any favors. If they simply reconfigured their lot with a serpentine pattern and speed bumps it would discourage traffic. A card activated gate would add to their values and eliminate the traffic altogether.

You should get some neighbors together and meet with the owner and suggest that, as well as notify them of their potential liabilities.

The government isn't there to help you out. Especially when they can point to someone else and avoid responsibility. You're just wasting your time with them.

[HogTrash]

I would rather have cars drag racing past my house than to have to drive over speed bumps every time I came home or left the house.

[glockmail]

I would rather have cars drag racing past my house than to have to drive over speed bumps every time I came home or left the house. Plus they'd be trying to make up the time between the bumps. That's just one of the many reasons why municipalities hate them.

[Mr. P]

Drag racers on residential streets deserve spike strips not bumps.

[Abbey Marie]

Drag racers on residential streets deserve spike strips not bumps.

:clap:

[jimnyc]

Wow ... Jim, this is very articulate and respectul. Very impressive.

Were you the only one there from your community? We had to set up a "rotating attendance" schedule where we signed up for certain meetings so that the same people weren't the only ones showing up. And, when we knew there would be media there for some other "issue" we made sure to show up with signs to hold up. We also invited our country supervisor to one of our community meetings to explain to us why the county was ignoring the original EIR....and to hear our concerns. That way, when he saw our faces in the crowd he had to look us in the eye because we had met him personally.

We actually had several potlucks to discuss our strategies. I also made it a point to get to know a little bit about each councilman at the town and our county supervisor. We did lots of research and came to the meetings with our own solutions ........ which gave them something to actually work on rather than asking them to figure it out. We found several alternate pieces of land and landowners willing to take the treated water.......it was hard work, but we found that just showing up and complaining got us no where fast.

What do you think would be a win-win situation for everyone?

There were 7 families in attendance for our road, but quite a lot more in attendance there for other issues.

I proposed they install a key card gated system at the end of the road which would only allow residents of the complex to utilize the driveway. They said they couldn't compel them to do so. I think that would satisfy every single resident using our road and leave out in the cold only those using the road as a cut through.


6. When I moved here to this city, I knew you ass munchers would ruin my street, and this city, for me and my family, and I knew you, were always going to *F* me good, and you have, and I know for a fact you bastards, won't be listening to anything I have to say about the damn road problem you created by allowing the, ***Acres Apts to have egress to the road, without calling for a reforerndom.
7. I'm going to tell you straight up, if you don't block that *F*ing egress from the Apts, to the road, we will sue your freaking ass in 10 days. (Waving hands in air)
8. We have a lawyer ready to file suit, we will sue you for loss of property value, and peace of mind, endangerment to the children, etc, etc,...and if a child gets hurt,..oh boy, I wouldn't want to be you bastards,...
9. You bastards think we won't, okay, you hide and watch, we are going to stuff this whole thing up your collective asses.
10. Then we are going to raise such a stink about this, we are going to get all you dumb bastards thrown out of office.
11. I'm done!!!!!!
12. Ofcourse you better have a lawyer in the wings, with the green light on,...if they don't cave into your demands.


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

I love it! But I believe I would have been escorted out before I finished #6! :lol:


I had a city Council chairman tell me they couldn't install speed bumps...blah,blah....

Guess what? A yr after I moved I drove past the old place and OMG speed bumps!!!

It can be done.

Oh, I know they can do it. They are stonewalling us on every proposal and every attempt to get them to enforce current laws.

7 households Vs. 2000 households. Who pays more taxes? The Town Admin meets 2x per year with the HOA as well. Wouldn't surprise me if he left with a bit of pocket lining.


Delaware is the land of speed bumps. I have yet to see an accident caused by one.

Jim, can you get the local news involved?

That's the funny part. They ignored my letters. They wouldn't return phone calls. They ignored my emails. Then a month later I wrote to the gentleman who wrote the article about another road, I called out the township and their actions - and of course I CC'd them on my email - wouldn't you know it that I received a reply to my inquiry and an invitation to the board meeting less than 6 hours later! They also started CC'n their attorney on all email communications as I was a bit arrogant and condescending in my words - I don't fancy being ignored or told they can't find records, or told by them to do my own research.


It seems to me that the apartment complex is liable here. All that traffic on their lot isn't doing their property values, or their pavement, any favors. If they simply reconfigured their lot with a serpentine pattern and speed bumps it would discourage traffic. A card activated gate would add to their values and eliminate the traffic altogether.

You should get some neighbors together and meet with the owner and suggest that, as well as notify them of their potential liabilities.

The government isn't there to help you out. Especially when they can point to someone else and avoid responsibility. You're just wasting your time with them.

True 'dat! We are taking this to the complex next. The HOA, management and hopefully their insurance company to bring forth the liability issues. We hope to work something out with them, but if not I am ready to do whatever I can to hold them accountable for others safety as well.


I would rather have cars drag racing past my house than to have to drive over speed bumps every time I came home or left the house.

If I didn't have a 9yr old son who uses the road with a ton of other kids going to the school about 150yds away I would agree with you.

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,


1. Well, your at a dead end my friend.
2. Only one thing left to do.
3. Buy an old pickup truck real cheap, then take off the exhaust system.
4. Drive that load bastard up and down the apartments parking lots, lets say about 2 am.
5. Do it every so often.
6. I bet they put a gate to keep you out.
7. I still think they should be made to close off their egress.


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[HogTrash]

Maybe you should look into one of these new temporary German Speed Bumps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X4FH_fYpGQ

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,


1. LOL!!!!!!


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[hjmick]

Should have asked them to fix that drive way of yours while you were there...

[SassyLady]

Maybe you should look into one of these new temporary German Speed Bumps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X4FH_fYpGQ

I want one!!! :laugh2::laugh2:

[SassyLady]

I proposed they install a key card gated system at the end of the road which would only allow residents of the complex to utilize the driveway. They said they couldn't compel them to do so. I think that would satisfy every single resident using our road and leave out in the cold only those using the road as a cut through.

We are taking this to the complex next. The HOA, management and hopefully their insurance company to bring forth the liability issues. We hope to work something out with them, but if not I am ready to do whatever I can to hold them accountable for others safety as well.

I think the key card gated system would appeal to the residents. What would happen if you made up a flyer (or go door to door) and put it on everyone's front door outlining it would make the place safer if it became a gated community and that they should notify the HOA that they want it done. Give them a form letter to sign and offer to deliver it to the association.

Perhaps this would get the residents involved and it would be more than just the seven families on your road.

[jackass]

Damn Jim youre still dealing with this shit?!? Sorry to hear it man. Good luck!

[jimnyc]

Since my last post on this issue, those in control at the Township have avoided me like I was diseased. They wouldn't return phone calls nor e-mails. I've tried every way possible to get updates and got nothing but the runaround and promises of returned calls. This didn't deter me and I figured I would badger them for answers until they got sick of me. The Town Supervisor promised me she would speak to the Town Attorney to find out about closing our "dead end" road, and would also speak to the school district about closing the rear gate that enters/exits onto private property and draws a ton of traffic down our "dead end" road.

I contacted a local on-line newspaper for our area and they allowed me to write an article for their edition. The woman who runs the site used to be an investigative reporter and has over 20 years experience in the news business, both paper and television. After endless emails with her and finally submitting my article, she asked if I would want to be a writer for their paper! I was thrilled until I found out they wanted me to attended ALL the town meetings and report on what takes place. No thanks, I hate those people and couldn't stomach going to 6 or 7 meetings per month to deal with them in any capacity.

Lo and behold, after my article is published, the Town Supervisor and Town Administrator notify me that they want to talk. I wanted answers to the 2 things she was going to look into, so of course I agreed. They called me about 4pm today and the 2 of them were on speakerphone. They stated the Town Attorney has determined they could do nothing about closing the road, and that they contacted the school district and they stated they were unable to accommodate the request at this time. I pressed for answers and was met with nothing but condescending attitudes and denials of all the proof in my possession. At one point while I was in the midst of speaking the Supervisor cut me off mid-sentence and started talking. I stated in return "With all due respect, may I please finish what I was discussing?" With that, she told me that I was being very rude and there was no need to further this call if I was going to have an attitude. I never once raised my voice, and I politely informed her that in most circles it would be considered rude to interrupt someone when they were speaking, and that I was just asking to please finish what I was discussing.

They gave me nothing but 20-25 minutes of "No" answers and the runaround, and the bitch of a Supervisor continually cut me off and continually was raising her voice over mine to drown me out. I realized at this point that not only was this conversation useless, but so too were my efforts in fighting the Township who holds all the cards.

I reiterated to both of them that they stated I was rude and unprofessional a few times. I politely explained to them that not once did I interrupt anyone and not once did I raise my voice, and that also, it was my belief that they were a bit upset at the inconsistencies I was pointing out and also showing how they have avoided this issue for over 2 decades or more, and the Supervisor has been in office this entire time. I lastly told them, if you want to label me as rude and unprofessional for seeking assistance to what I consider a safety matter for the residents of our road, and more importantly, our children, I would give them a real reason to do so. Then I told them they were the rudest bastards I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with and that I felt they were a couple of incompetent retards. Then I heard a dial tone.

I don't think I'm going to get this matter resolved. Fuck 'em, I'm not going to get spoken down to and belittled by a couple of asswipes who think they can trample on me just because they can. I tried my best to remain calm, reasonable and polite - but they seemed intent on pissing me off and they succeeded. They weren't going to do a damn thing to help me anyway, so I really don't give a shit if I've alienated myself from them now or not. But if they think I'm done nagging them they have another thing coming. Being that NY is a "one party state" when it comes to recordings, I recorded the entire conversation. One party means that only one person need be aware of the recording, and that would be me. The only limitation to the recording is that it cannot be used in a court of law. But I plan on taking this recording, along with ten years of records and uselessness from them and forwarding it along to our Mayor informing him of their incompetency and unprofessional behavior. I doubt it will accomplish anything, but hopefully it'll piss a few people off.

[glockmail]

Jim you're a fool not to take the job. This could be opportunity knocking. Plus, once the Townies see that you've got a press pass they will shit their drawers. You've got enough material in front of you now to write a dozen of your first articles.

[Gaffer]

I agree with Glock, you have a great opportunity to to make major changes there. Reporting on the meetings and the underhandedness that goes on. They would even have to be nice to you as a reporter. You could even rekindle good honest journalism. Sure the meetings are boring, but oooohhh the shit you could stir.

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,




Jim you're a fool not to take the job. This could be opportunity knocking. Plus, once the Townies see that you've got a press pass they will shit their drawers. You've got enough material in front of you now to write a dozen of your first articles.




1. Agreed!
2. Get in there and watch these bastards real close, dig up the dirt, you know slant stories against these bastards, you know chuckle and raise your eyebrows, when writing notes!
3. Then force their freakin hands to close the street like I told you to do!
4. Get in there and *KICK ASS*!!!
5. You can butt punt these bastards, don't let them walk away unscathed!!!
6. Scath their asses!!!!!:laugh2:
7. Ofcourse out of whats the good of your street, and the school, and children.


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[Jeff]

Jim the best advice I could give ya is Sell and move south, Hell man ya can't even hunt in your yard :laugh2: Take the money from the sale buy a big house on plenty of land and then use the rest of the money to buy a new boat for the lake some, fishing poles and a deer rifle or two :laugh2:

Seriously , why live in all the hustle and bustle ? Hell ya could by a house next to mine, although dealing with my kids would be a lot harder than city life I am sure :laugh2

[LiberalNation]

we don't have any parking to fight over. UofL Parking is the worstest.

[Gaffer]

Jim the best advice I could give ya is Sell and move south, Hell man ya can't even hunt in your yard :laugh2: Take the money from the sale buy a big house on plenty of land and then use the rest of the money to buy a new boat for the lake some, fishing poles and a deer rifle or two :laugh2:

Seriously , why live in all the hustle and bustle ? Hell ya could by a house next to mine, although dealing with my kids would be a lot harder than city life I am sure :laugh2

:lol: Somehow I don't see his wife giving up her job to move next door to you. :poke:

[glockmail]

Jim the best advice I could give ya is Sell and move south, Hell man ya can't even hunt in your yard :laugh2: Take the money from the sale buy a big house on plenty of land and then use the rest of the money to buy a new boat for the lake some, fishing poles and a deer rifle or two :laugh2:

Seriously , why live in all the hustle and bustle ? Hell ya could by a house next to mine, although dealing with my kids would be a lot harder than city life I am sure :laugh2

Hunt? I bet he can't even take a piss in his yard.

[Jeff]

:lol: Somehow I don't see his wife giving up her job to move next door to you. :poke:

I will have you know his wife loves me very much, :laugh2:

OOO and Gaffer I could get her a job at the shop, the Mexicans need another person to help wash trucks:laugh2:

That reminds me, Aggie if ever in GA I can get ya a job :laugh2:

[Jeff]

Hunt? I bet he can't even take a piss in his yard.

I never thought of that, well yea I did, but I didn't want to sound to redneck :laugh2: But damn if ya can't take a leak in the yard what good is having one ?

[glockmail]

I never thought of that, well yea I did, but I didn't want to sound to redneck :laugh2: But damn if ya can't take a leak in the yard what good is having one ? Exactly. And if you're a gentleman Southerner like me, you'll install the urinal from a porta-john on the corner of your deck, opposite of the gas grill, to save you from having to walk down the stairs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66179590@N00/4334116012/in/pool-pee

[actsnoblemartin]

go jim go

:dance:


Tonight I go in front of the town board to address many concerns pertaining to the road I live on. Suffice to say, it boils down to illegal parking, speeding cars, people tossing their garbage, road isn't wide enough for 2 vehicles to to parking alignment, road not up to code... and did I mention this is a dead end road I live on?

Although it's a dead end road, with a sign designating as much as you enter my street, and copies of the building departments latest land surveys still show it as a dead end, it's no longer a dead end. The adjacent apartment complex, years back, just decided to dig up the hill at the end of the road and make it into what they are now calling a "driveway". Yes, they have a parking lot at the bottom of this hill which is private property, which also has an exit on the other side to the busiest highway in our town. Now approximately 500-600 cars per day speed down our road, down this driveway, through the private parking lot and out to the highway. The township states that the hill is private property and they were entitled to do as they wish with it. They further state that even though the driveway is private, they are entitled to allow anyone they like to use this private road - leading to the majority of our complaints. How a private building can turn a township owned dead end road into a publicly accessible through way is beyond me.

Adjacent to the parking lot at the bottom of the "dead end" is our local elementary school where my son goes to school. A few hundred children and parents walk this road daily going to and from school, and therefore must compete with speeding cars and a dead end road driveway that gets as much traffic as grand central station. When going down the hill, which is only enough to handle one car per time (which is why horns are beeping all day and night), you cannot see around the bend and must proceed with caution - and the same scenario exists for drivers coming up the hill. Now, if they have trouble seeing other cars and must honk their horns to avoid accidents - what does that say to the safety of the children going back and forth to school?

Anyway, there are 7 houses on our road and all of us are attending this evening, but I am to address the town to open the meeting with a prepared speech. I'm not very good at speaking in front of crowds!!! LOL I'm sure I'll turn bright red, jumble my words and be a bit shaky in the hands. But I am fed up and beyond furious. I can easily imagine being tossed from the meeting for losing my cool. They've been giving us the run around for over 10 years now. But even worse, 2 of the home owners have been here for 40 and 38 years respectively. They have complained to the town about a ton of issues over the past 4 decades and never saw anything done to improve this road. That makes me wonder if they really give a shit to begin with.

My Mom is afraid I'll end up in jail! LOL I have no desire to do anything to get arrested, but I'll be damned if I won't fight this and at least have my voice heard and put into the public record. Nothing like spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home that you thought was on a quiet dead end street only to find out later that the road is a damned nightmare.

Ok, better save my rambling for the town board. They've heard me LOUD and CLEAR over the past few months with my non-stop investigating, prodding, emails, phone calls.... They'll be waiting for me, and I'm prepared.

[jimnyc]

Jim you're a fool not to take the job. This could be opportunity knocking. Plus, once the Townies see that you've got a press pass they will shit their drawers. You've got enough material in front of you now to write a dozen of your first articles.


I agree with Glock, you have a great opportunity to to make major changes there. Reporting on the meetings and the underhandedness that goes on. They would even have to be nice to you as a reporter. You could even rekindle good honest journalism. Sure the meetings are boring, but oooohhh the shit you could stir.



1. Agreed!
2. Get in there and watch these bastards real close, dig up the dirt, you know slant stories against these bastards, you know chuckle and raise your eyebrows, when writing notes!
3. Then force their freakin hands to close the street like I told you to do!
4. Get in there and *KICK ASS*!!!
5. You can butt punt these bastards, don't let them walk away unscathed!!!
6. Scath their asses!!!!!:laugh2:
7. Ofcourse out of whats the good of your street, and the school, and children.

I guess I wrote that too quickly and may have given the wrong impression. While this is an online newspaper covering my Town and the 4 neighboring towns, it would NOT be a paid gig. Furthermore, she expects "professionalism" and simply reporting, or in other words, minutes from the meetings. She had me read through the past years worth of writings from the prior person covering these events and it was all factual and no commentary whatsoever. If it were a column going over the meeting AND allowing my commentary, I would likely take the gig and give it to them pretty good. The Town and their police department don't scare me. I have a blog covering these events from beginning to end, and rip apart the police alongside the township, and I know for a fact that they all read it daily. I have their IP's from their correspondence with me which match up with the logs of daily visits. That was one of the perks of writing my article for the "paper", she allowed me to link to my blog at the end.


Jim the best advice I could give ya is Sell and move south, Hell man ya can't even hunt in your yard :laugh2: Take the money from the sale buy a big house on plenty of land and then use the rest of the money to buy a new boat for the lake some, fishing poles and a deer rifle or two :laugh2:

Seriously , why live in all the hustle and bustle ? Hell ya could by a house next to mine, although dealing with my kids would be a lot harder than city life I am sure :laugh2

If we ever moved she would want to go back to Virginia, and she also mentioned Arizona. :eek:


we don't have any parking to fight over. UofL Parking is the worstest.


:lol: Somehow I don't see his wife giving up her job to move next door to you. :poke:

Maybe closer to Atlanta, but I doubt it.


Hunt? I bet he can't even take a piss in his yard.

I could if I didn't mind the neighbors 10ft on either side of my home watching!


I will have you know his wife loves me very much

Yep, she does, at least until I tell her you called her a beaner!

[Jeff]

I guess I wrote that too quickly and may have given the wrong impression. While this is an online newspaper covering my Town and the 4 neighboring towns, it would NOT be a paid gig. Furthermore, she expects "professionalism" and simply reporting, or in other words, minutes from the meetings. She had me read through the past years worth of writings from the prior person covering these events and it was all factual and no commentary whatsoever. If it were a column going over the meeting AND allowing my commentary, I would likely take the gig and give it to them pretty good. The Town and their police department don't scare me. I have a blog covering these events from beginning to end, and rip apart the police alongside the township, and I know for a fact that they all read it daily. I have their IP's from their correspondence with me which match up with the logs of daily visits. That was one of the perks of writing my article for the "paper", she allowed me to link to my blog at the end.



If we ever moved she would want to go back to Virginia, and she also mentioned Arizona. :eek:





Maybe closer to Atlanta, but I doubt it.



I could if I didn't mind the neighbors 10ft on either side of my home watching!




Yep, she does, at least until I tell her you called her a beaner!


I simply offered her a job :laugh2: I didn't call her a beaner :laugh2:

[cat slave]

Gawd...y'all are funny!

[jimnyc]

Sometimes the squeaky wheel does get a little grease.

Since the Township has been unwilling to help, I next went to the Principal of the grammar school and the superintendent of schools for our county. I explained to them about cars driving down our road to private property to drop off their kids at school, and the liability issues this creates. God forbid a child gets injured entering/exiting school, someone will sue both the school & the private property owners. I also contacted the management company for the apartment complex and am in the midst of arranging a meeting with their insurance carrier.

Well, at 8:30 this morning 4 police cruisers came down our road and parked at the dead end "driveway" and stayed there for an hour. They stopped every vehicle that went to cut through, or drop off children, and turned back anyone who did not live at the apartment complex.

Of course this is a temporary fix, as since they left the traffic picked right back up again, but at least my efforts thus far have garnered a little attention. They'll likely do this for a few days and then stop, and traffic will go right back to the way it was. But this squeaky wheel is going to get louder and louder until a permanent resolution is put into place.

Ok, just had to vent again!

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,


1. Well thats progress, but you got to keep pushing, these bastards don't know what oven they sticked their heads into, turn up the heat!!!!
2. You should now form a protest group, and picket the egress, get out there and walk the line mon.
3. The more you can get there the better, and have the standard *Picket Signs*
4. Saying, *Close This Illegal Driveway!*, *A Child Will Get Killed!*, *It Will Be On You*, *To Much Traffic For Small Dead End Street!*, *Not MY Child You Ass Hats!*, * This Driveway Will Be Closed!*, *Make It A Walk Way*, *We Didn't Sign Up For This!*, *No Egress Or No Peace!*, *Take A Vote On It!*, and the best of all, *Plug The Driveway Genius!*.
5. Make all of them have the wording with different hand writing and yet readable, carry plastic swords, for special effects.
6. Ofcourse have children selling lemon aid, and balloons. after school, and in the mornings, just parents walking the line, no more than 40 minutes each morning and after school.
7. Start a coalition, let membership cost 5 bucks a week, until you disband after you win.
8. Use the money to pay for needed supplies, you know lemmons and surgar.
9. You have to take the next step,... it will work, learn a chant, like, *Close This Access Or Be An Ass Hat*:laugh2:
10. Force the issue, turn up the heat!!!
11. Have some one on a small sound system blaring out, how, "We ain't gona take it anymore!" Ramble on what the signs say, etc.

Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

[Abbey Marie]

I'd say that's pretty good progress, Jim. You obviously struck a nerve somewhere.
:thumb:

[jackass]

I would keep going with the possible lawsuits they could be involved in if a child gets injured.

[SassyLady]

Jim - the squeaky wheel thing is correct. How do you think this country got to be so liberal. It is because conservatives are discreet and want to do things the right way without causing too much fuss, whereas the libs have been putting on public displays of discontent for years. Well, that dynamic has changed. We are starting our own wheels turning - started with the Tea Party protests and didn't that shock everyone! They think we are extremists because we've never spoke up before.

You keep up the pressure...I told you it took years of pressure on our elected officials to keep that 200 million gallon wastewater pond out of our front yard (literally) but we made it happen. You will make this happen!

Have you found a lawyer that would be willing to help you guys out pro bono? Someone who is willing to file a nuisance lawsuit against the owners of the complex? Or the school board for not taking measures to protect the viability of the school?

Anyway.........seems like you got the ball rolling........don't give up.