Know what really irks me? No? Well I'll tell ya.
I own my house. Well, in another twenty some years, but we are considered homeowners. Pay the taxes every year. Shovel the walk. Mow the lawn-and the boulevard. Cuz if you don't the neighbors call the city about the weeds that grow over eight inches. (Had that happen to the neighbor-and yes the guy was over there with a tape measure!) No big deal. We like the place to look nice. However. We have this humongous elm tree on said boulevard, which is growing, as it has for years, and which we water, as is our responsibility, so it may continue to grow. Right up under the sidewalk, which is beginning to buckle and has a portion raised enough to be deemed by the city as a danger to pedestrians. And will cost US about $1300 dollars to fix. And we must use a contractor the city approves of. And pay for it out of our pocket. In addition to the taxes we pay for boulevard and tree maintenence. And we MAY NOT determine that the tree is damaging our property, and remove it, since both the tree and the sidewalk are city property. Even though it has also damaged the section of walk leading up to our front step, which we must also pay for, in addition to the sidewalk.
Now do not get me wrong, I like trees. I yell at kids I see abusing the little baby trees the city planted down the street to replace ones they had to cut down. But this tree is going to continue it's destructive ways. Say we replace the sidewalk. How long before more roots destroy that and the next homeowner has to replace it?
I am relatively pleased with our alley though. Everyone on the block payed a percentage of the cost to get it paved. Really cut down on dust and pothole problems. We do have some issues with the people down the street thinking they can blow through at 40 mph, but we have found ways to curtail that. And the city accepted responsibility for maintenance. It would have been nice if they had graded it correctly, since right now all the snowmelt is draining under our garage door to puddle in the garage. But nothing a good floor squeegee won't fix, and it does keep the floor clean.
I own my house. Well, in another twenty some years, but we are considered homeowners. Pay the taxes every year. Shovel the walk. Mow the lawn-and the boulevard. Cuz if you don't the neighbors call the city about the weeds that grow over eight inches. (Had that happen to the neighbor-and yes the guy was over there with a tape measure!) No big deal. We like the place to look nice. However. We have this humongous elm tree on said boulevard, which is growing, as it has for years, and which we water, as is our responsibility, so it may continue to grow. Right up under the sidewalk, which is beginning to buckle and has a portion raised enough to be deemed by the city as a danger to pedestrians. And will cost US about $1300 dollars to fix. And we must use a contractor the city approves of. And pay for it out of our pocket. In addition to the taxes we pay for boulevard and tree maintenence. And we MAY NOT determine that the tree is damaging our property, and remove it, since both the tree and the sidewalk are city property. Even though it has also damaged the section of walk leading up to our front step, which we must also pay for, in addition to the sidewalk.
Now do not get me wrong, I like trees. I yell at kids I see abusing the little baby trees the city planted down the street to replace ones they had to cut down. But this tree is going to continue it's destructive ways. Say we replace the sidewalk. How long before more roots destroy that and the next homeowner has to replace it?
I am relatively pleased with our alley though. Everyone on the block payed a percentage of the cost to get it paved. Really cut down on dust and pothole problems. We do have some issues with the people down the street thinking they can blow through at 40 mph, but we have found ways to curtail that. And the city accepted responsibility for maintenance. It would have been nice if they had graded it correctly, since right now all the snowmelt is draining under our garage door to puddle in the garage. But nothing a good floor squeegee won't fix, and it does keep the floor clean.
posted by a-fire-fly at 10:07 AM
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