Today's Neighbor Story

[mpillow]

My dad called last night all in a huff....

" Well i told the neighbors they were all ------- crazy"
"Nice..." I replied.

It seems they have formed a road association and most have paid dues but one place just sold and new owners dont feel they should pay last years fees because previous owners didnt pay. *** Myself and my parents also feel they are not responsible for last years $75*** So the person who owns the tractor that snowblows the road and sands(junior) sent registered letter to the new folks on the road demanding payment...blah blah
Another seasonal home owner feels he shouldn't have to pay full fee as he is seasonal....***I disagree, my father agrees w/ him*** I disagree because when he is there its alot of vehicles and ATVs on the road from his company.

So yesterday my dad took his rake and shovel down to the hill of the road to clean pine needles and debris from ditches because water was going over the road instead of in the "full" ditch. My dad is a workaholic mind you....things should have been done yesterday attitude... so the wife (ex-wife really) to the tractor owner comes along on her way to work and says to my dad " Hi! What are you doing?" So he tells her in a nice way....so off she goes and in about 2 min she is coming back by...
My dad asked " Did you forget something?"
Her reply " yes. I need a shovel"

I will tell you that this woman has bi-polar disorder and is quite gossipy and imaginitive.

The woman goes home and blabs to the neighbors(who are her in-laws) that my dad is working on the road and shouldn't be blah blah

So MIL to woman comes down and says to my dad " You really shouldn't be doing this since you have back trouble, etc" and she said it with venom...
My dad replied " J-C I've been building the road over to John's all summer, I get a day off and I decide to do a little work here to benefit all of us and you think you can tell me not to?"

I will tell you that my dad is not a patient man and he calls things/people as he sees them. God love him.

So then the husband and FIL (junior and senior) show up and more bickering ensues including lies from Ms. Bi-polar and my dad says " Alright you want to know what the ------- problem is?(rhetorically) Its her(Ms. Bi Polar) not minding her business harrassing two of the neighbors for money, spreading rumors. I've had enough."

Then senior says " Did you swear at my wife?"
My Dad says " HeLI no, but I did swear in front of her"

So dad left ----ed and Junior came up to smooth things over...he's a cool guy and he agreed with my dad....minus the temper...

And now we have offered one year of sand from our sandpit for winter sanding to save the assn money but its just a tiny pit and my husband and I have building plans that will require a certain amount of what's there.

So surprisingly senior didn't call the cops(he has a cop caller reputation) on my dad....the ditches didnt get cleaned and it rained heavily last night. Ms. Bi-Polar did call and tell my mother that she would not be attending any more road assn meetings as she was not a land-owner. She and Junior are divorced but living together so to get state provided health care.

Did I mention my dad likes to swear when he's angry ??

I will also tell you that in the past my mother/father have sent Omaha Steaks to these families at Christmas, attended b-day parties and babysat their children overnight, mowed lawn while he was away and she was hospitalized He shares his garden w/ them his tools etc. And he pays for tractor work like garden tilling etc. Unfortunately, I think he will be less likely to be so generous w/ them.

Just thought I'd share

[Arkie1]

I've always wondered where shows like Jerry Springer and Maury get their guests, after seeing so many threads lately about dysfunctional neighbors & neighborhoods, I think I know!

Sorry your dad is having a rough time.

[MELOC]

and people still want to form these associations and covenants, not to mention entire regulated communities. i just don't get it.

[Jan Doling]

Go figure....people change if they think they have control and power. Some folks are suspicious of everyone, some folks are jealous for no reason, some folks are just mean.

Look at the bright side: Dad will have more money to spend on your gift this year!

[texican]

To everyone that has neighbors...

My best and only advice is....

PLEASE keep Them!!! cause I DON"T WANT EM!!! :baby04:

I am o so thankful that I don't have any close neighbors, and the ones that I do have troubles with only visit their property intermittently during hunting season...

[pyrnad]

Maybe your dad's neighbor and my neighbor can move somewhere next to each other.

[mpillow]

AND they dont like it when I summer up there w/ critters....

About breeding the pigs.....I'm thinking dad might be interested

[pyrnad]

Originally Posted by mpillow

AND they dont like it when I summer up there w/ critters....

About breeding the pigs.....I'm thinking dad might be interested

Maybe some Guineas too

[wilderness1989]

Your dad and I would probably get along great. I had problems like this on a shared road, yelled at one neighbor that didn't grade the road properly, actually graded out what I had done.. I'll never do that again because it was war from then on. If I had a calf get out, as they do in the Spring, he threatened to shoot any cow I had get out from now on. Lawyers and the sheriff involved .....ect. It's a good idea to get along with your neighbors.

[rambler]

Lots of room for better people skills by the folks on all sides of this one, it seems. So life goes. Thanks for sharing.

--->Paul

[agmantoo]

Never rent to a relative
Never loan money to a friend
Never share a road
All of the above will come back to haunt you!

[mtman]

Originally Posted by mpillow

My dad called last night all in a huff....

" Well i told the neighbors they were all ------- crazy"
"Nice..." I replied.

It seems they have formed a road association and most have paid dues but one place just sold and new owners dont feel they should pay last years fees because previous owners didnt pay. *** Myself and my parents also feel they are not responsible for last years $75*** So the person who owns the tractor that snowblows the road and sands(junior) sent registered letter to the new folks on the road demanding payment...blah blah
Another seasonal home owner feels he shouldn't have to pay full fee as he is seasonal....***I disagree, my father agrees w/ him*** I disagree because when he is there its alot of vehicles and ATVs on the road from his company.

So yesterday my dad took his rake and shovel down to the hill of the road to clean pine needles and debris from ditches because water was going over the road instead of in the "full" ditch. My dad is a workaholic mind you....things should have been done yesterday attitude... so the wife (ex-wife really) to the tractor owner comes along on her way to work and says to my dad " Hi! What are you doing?" So he tells her in a nice way....so off she goes and in about 2 min she is coming back by...
My dad asked " Did you forget something?"
Her reply " yes. I need a shovel"

I will tell you that this woman has bi-polar disorder and is quite gossipy and imaginitive.

The woman goes home and blabs to the neighbors(who are her in-laws) that my dad is working on the road and shouldn't be blah blah

So MIL to woman comes down and says to my dad " You really shouldn't be doing this since you have back trouble, etc" and she said it with venom...
My dad replied " J-C I've been building the road over to John's all summer, I get a day off and I decide to do a little work here to benefit all of us and you think you can tell me not to?"

I will tell you that my dad is not a patient man and he calls things/people as he sees them. God love him.

So then the husband and FIL (junior and senior) show up and more bickering ensues including lies from Ms. Bi-polar and my dad says " Alright you want to know what the ------- problem is?(rhetorically) Its her(Ms. Bi Polar) not minding her business harrassing two of the neighbors for money, spreading rumors. I've had enough."

Then senior says " Did you swear at my wife?"
My Dad says " HeLI no, but I did swear in front of her"

So dad left ----ed and Junior came up to smooth things over...he's a cool guy and he agreed with my dad....minus the temper...

And now we have offered one year of sand from our sandpit for winter sanding to save the assn money but its just a tiny pit and my husband and I have building plans that will require a certain amount of what's there.

So surprisingly senior didn't call the cops(he has a cop caller reputation) on my dad....the ditches didnt get cleaned and it rained heavily last night. Ms. Bi-Polar did call and tell my mother that she would not be attending any more road assn meetings as she was not a land-owner. She and Junior are divorced but living together so to get state provided health care.

Did I mention my dad likes to swear when he's angry ??

I will also tell you that in the past my mother/father have sent Omaha Steaks to these families at Christmas, attended b-day parties and babysat their children overnight, mowed lawn while he was away and she was hospitalized He shares his garden w/ them his tools etc. And he pays for tractor work like garden tilling etc. Unfortunately, I think he will be less likely to be so generous w/ them.

Just thought I'd share

he speaks his mind, gets things done with or without a little cussin these are the people i based my life on
i dont even know him and i like him
jim

[JBourne76]

mpillow, I think we have the same dad.

Then senior says " Did you swear at my wife?"
My Dad says " HeLI no, but I did swear in front of her"

Okay, that right there is *funny*.

[DWIGHT DUNCAN]

I sure do hate to hear stories like this one. We all wish neighbors were from this planet instead of Uranus.

We have two neighbors who have easement rights on our front road. And we have been waiting for one or the other of the two places to sell for the past two years before we resurface the road. We have an "association agreement" if thats what you call it. We own it and are required to maintain it, but those who use it are liable for a third of the cost. Well, you should see the one neighbor dodge that bill. We even sent a letter stating that the charges can be put as a lien against the property. But he doesn't care because the place is going into forclosure.

We can't wait any longer to make repairs to the road (blacktop) so we decided to pay the cost and collect what we can.

Well, the neighbor up above learned about this problem with lower neighbor and offered to split the cost with us if we cannot get a third from the deadbeat.

So you see, some neighbors really are decent folks. But that doesn't mean the story will be the same 3 years from now.

[Hoop]

mpillow

Road associations, lake associations, neighborhood associations are generally associations in which membership is voluntary, even though the benefits flow to all.

your post focuses on the nightmares involved when people have to share a road in which every rule/regulation/fees/penalties/maintenance/etc are not specifically spelled out in writing. Few properties with shared roads contain such specific legal info, but rather will have the vague writing of "expenses to be shared".

The person that doesn't want to pay there share of fees is under NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to do so. While they indeed may be morally responsible (they benefit from the road, hence they should support its upkeep), thats as far as it goes.

Most shared roads are nightmares, and these experiences are typical.

[mpillow]

Well the joke is in the abbreviations....Birch Rd. Assn....assasins?

There is a written and notarized contract (my mom is secretary) but it seems that people dont feel obligated.....fine w/ me we are at the end of the road but we and parents have 4wd if it gets ROUGH or stay home..and there is a back exit trail prone to flooding though...

We also plan to buy a tractor but did not intend to have to leave it at my parents place (we own land beside them but live in China ME) but if need be....

Its just foolishness I'm afraid...cleaning the ditches would save alot of problems...but you gotta have permission to help....

My father is the nicest guy until you cross him.....I'm sure this isn't the end of the issue.

[Mountaineer]

When purchasing a new property you also owe any unpaid taxes/levies on that property. Part of the deal. Something that is looked into previous to the purchase.

[Shadow]

I have never heard anything good about living on a private road where everyone had to share in the cost of upkeep.
Most people don't realize the cost of keeping up even a small lane, it can be very costly and someone always complains or doesn't want to pay thier share, or do it their selves. Nothing is simple when done by a commity, thats the reason God built the world in seven days , he did not have a bunch of different people deciding how it should be done.

[MarleneS]

Originally Posted by Farmer Joe

When purchasing a new property you also owe any unpaid taxes/levies on that property. Part of the deal. Something that is looked into previous to the purchase.

Only if you decide to purchase it with leins/levies and unpaid taxes due Most people make that part of the negotiations - and have title searches done so there are no surprises after the act of sale.

Marlene

[Jennifer L.]

mpillow, your dad sounds like a good neighbor. If they ever feel like moving tell him it's nice in Northern NYS!

Jennifer