good luck to you, sir.
Thank you sir
EDIT: They banned my IP address at the local site here where I started a blog and thread about this. The hometownlife site is financed by Redford Township, the Redford area is anyway.
I was continually logged in over there for the past year and as soon as I addressed this issue I was logged out and cannot log back in or register a new account. I can see in the scripting where it’s redirecting me to a blank header/footer page, but there’s no external way to defeat it that I can find. I’m not poking any further than that.
“Infantile!”
Heh, you’ve got the intense–but, well spoken–thing going on in the interview. Good luck, man. You’re dealing with some serious hard-asses though, who don’t seem to recognize this might not be the time (economic and employment woes) for enforcing trivial crap.
[quote]Sloth wrote:
“Infantile!”
Heh, you’ve got the intense–but, well spoken–thing going on in the interview. Good luck, man. You’re dealing with some serious hard-asses though, who don’t seem to recognize this might not be the time (economic and employment woes) for enforcing trivial crap.[/quote]
He told me not to hold back. I tried to be reserved and he could tell. He said that it would be more effective the more sincerely frustrated I appeared which came quite naturally. If you want more of the details see the blog post linked above. What’s funny is this reporter didn’t even know what a rat wall was either. I had to explain it to him.
LOL, you made the township seem so petty(which they are). Good interview! Hope all goes well in court.
This thread turned out good, and I bet it will see a lot of activity when the senate race starts.
Tiribulus,
Well done. The absurdity of the town’s focus on your shed in these economic times is beyond words.
Good luck!
http://localoutrage.ning.com/profiles/blogs/youtube-video-of-channel-7
Very Long day. I’ll give em credit they threw me a curve.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Tiribulus,
Well done. The absurdity of the town’s focus on your shed in these economic times is beyond words.
Good luck!
[/quote]
I can’t believe the amount of my attention that has been consumed with this.
The newspaper was here today too. The guy says it will be in the Sunday paper with pictures. I am sitting here just exasperated. If this doesn’t exemplify what’s wrong with government today I don’t know what does.
The next chapter will be intersting
Tirib -
Question: I still don’t know what a ‘rat wall’ actually is. Is it a major alteration, or something like reinforcement around the foundation?
The town volunteered to do it for you (presumably at town expense). Is that just not an option for you to come in to compliance? I guess my question is, for you, is the town-built rat wall a ‘no’ out of principle or a ‘no’ because it is major construction (ie. digging, foundation re-pour, etc)?
This story is getting huge ! I’m glad to see all of the publicity with this, Tribulous. Good luck!
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Tirib -
Question: I still don’t know what a ‘rat wall’ actually is. Is it a major alteration, or something like reinforcement around the foundation?
The town volunteered to do it for you (presumably at town expense). Is that just not an option for you to come in to compliance? I guess my question is, for you, is the town-built rat wall a ‘no’ out of principle or a ‘no’ because it is major construction (ie. digging, foundation re-pour, etc)?[/quote]
My wife has spent 3 seasons conditioning the soil around that slab and nursing some kind of special roses, she knows better than I do, they were sent to her as a gift from an online friend. They would have to dig out that whole area which would turn all the underlying clay and rock from underneath into the soil as well as possibly kill those roses. They don’t transplant well.
For what? To satisfy some meaningless ordinance in a cabinet somewhere and the pathetic ego of this inspector? I doubt we’ll win this in the end, but I will not give in and I will have the respect of my family. What business is it of anybody’s what we do with our yard as long as it doesn’t impact them?
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Tirib -
Question: I still don’t know what a ‘rat wall’ actually is. Is it a major alteration, or something like reinforcement around the foundation?
The town volunteered to do it for you (presumably at town expense). Is that just not an option for you to come in to compliance? I guess my question is, for you, is the town-built rat wall a ‘no’ out of principle or a ‘no’ because it is major construction (ie. digging, foundation re-pour, etc)?[/quote]
My wife has spent 3 seasons conditioning the soil around that slab and nursing some kind of special roses, she knows better than I do, they were sent to her as a gift from an online friend. They would have to dig out that whole area which would turn all the underlying clay and rock from underneath into the soil as well as possibly kill those roses. They don’t transplant well.
For what? To satisfy some meaningless ordinance in a cabinet somewhere and the pathetic ego of this inspector? I doubt we’ll win this in the end, but I will not give in and I will have the respect of my family. What business is it of anybody’s what we do with our yard as long as it doesn’t impact them?[/quote]
You know, I understand the principle motivating you. I really do. But after reading about the position you and your wife are in, overall, maybe accept the offer? If things are difficult for you now because of employment woes, with your house at risk, and so little in the bank…
What exactly could happen if this thing goes to court and you lose? What kind of fines? What actions can they take with your property? Is spending time in a cell a possibility?
I’m hopeful that this will turn out well, but your choice to continue pursuing this matter rather than letting the town install the rat wall doesn’t make much sense.
You don’t want them to do it because it will destroy the roses, but, with $63 dollars in the bank account and you teetering on the brink of homelessness, what is going to happen to these flowers should you lose not only this case, but your house because of them? Can you afford to pursue this case, lose, and pay whatever fines and demolition costs they throw at you?
Do these flowers mean more to your wife than your house? Your freedom? I know imprisonment has been tossed around - would she rather see you behind bars than sacrifice her flowers?
You say that at least you will have the respect of your family in the end. I’m not a family man, but I would imagine that if push came to shove I would rather lose their respect than rob them of their home… but you’ve given it a good run and I can’t imagine them losing any respect for you simply because you are able to recognize when you’re out of options.
Just my opinion. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you, though.
They won’t put me in jail any more. The newscast did accomplish that much. I have a hearing next week and the judge will issue an abatement and they will tear the shed down. At bottom it’s not even about the roses. It’s about whether or not I will willingly surrender to what would have been an absolute non issue were it not for the personal crusade of a childish public official.
Rat wall ordinances for “accessory structures” are very common as are a million others where non compliance poses no public consequences whatsoever leading to the question of why they exist in the first place. In the case of a rat wall for a storage shed. How many instances have actually had any other effect than to burden the citizens and create new opportunities to be fined?
What would have happened had our shed remained in obscurity in our back yard. Nothing, absolutely nothing. What’s happening now is about them securing my humble recognition of their power.
OK guys, I’ve been waiting. Go ahead. I can take it.
Now I’m the one being petty and after all is a rat wall the end of the world? It won’t cost you anything, they’ll be off your back and you can be about the business of trying to make a living. You’re not picking your fights wisely and public support is thinning out quick now that they’ve said it can be done for free. This smacks of grandstanding pigheadedness now more than a principled battle and you may really live to regret it.
Did I miss anything =]
Haha pretty much.
Still rooting for ya, though.
From my responses to a lady at the local site:
I also understand that very few people are going to closely read everything about a situation that isn’t directly about them, probably myself included. I actually have answered your questions. It is an abomination that I (or you) in the US of A would need permission from some bureaucratic office concerning the non criminal use of a plastic shed kit from a local store on my own property. The fact that so many will scowl at their screen reading this wondering what is wrong with me illustrates my point.
To recap: We did NOT pour a slab. It is an area of our exisiting driveway that has been there rat free and rat wall-less for 35 years. All I did was put a plastic shed on it. Not a high rise, not a nuclear reactor, not a dwelling. A shed.
The only reason we thought to ask the town at all was because when we rented on Lola years back I bought a $100 tiny shed and they were up my nose then about locations, foundations blah blah blah with that one. Actually it was Mary who went over and asked them about where we wanted to put this one. With pictures. The guy said as long as it’s on concrete and not too close to a property line go ahead. Had I known I would be required to jump through all these hoops I never would have bought it. Even when I was working I wasn’t making much and it took 18 months to pay it off. Put yourself in my position. There are no rats. My wife is fanatical about keeping that yard healthy. I asked Rodneyfield how a 35 year old driveway suddenly became vermin bait as a function of now having a plastic shed on it. I was asking sincerely. It is oppressive application of bad law to a family and in a Township that are frantically paddling to stay afloat. It means nothing to anybody except Rick Pringle
If you had been treated like we have by this guy with his sneering chest beating condescension you would be singing a different tune. I hope. If you have any self respect at all. In court I called him an insect. I stand by that assessment. I have scraped things off my shoe of more significance and value than this pathetic little man. He gets off on dictating what other people can and cannot do with their own property. Tragically he has the law and the courts to give muscle to his empty existence.
I haven’t even gotten into the outright abusive way that Joe Kubera rails on my wife. When I’m not there of course. He runs like a little girl when I show up simply to hand him a letter. And before you even wonder, no nO, NO, we did not instigate this treatment. I was quite cordial with Pringle until he made our shed a crusade. I have it on video. When he as much as said that Handy was out of his way and we WOULD comply, I understood. How would you feel?
You’re only crime was not getting approval in writing from the original township officer.