The Mountain Plan and the Hillbilly Mentality
I live in the Paris Heights subdivision and I am getting raked over the coals by a pair of anarchists and foolish old woman.
For years the storm water runofffrom Paris Heights Lane came down the mountain in a ditch alongside the road. At first it spilled onto the apron of the driveway where Paris Heights and LaFayette Lane meet and made quite a mess. The two gentlemen who maintain this road took it upon themselves to place enough dirt at the junction of the two lanes so that the water runoffwould only damage LaFayette Lane. I pushed the dirt away, they pushed the dirt back. To enact a permanent fix I got as many neighbors together who cared and placed a culvert at the end of the ditch coming down Paris Heights Lane. Problem solved. Except during the next torrential rainstorm the caretakers figured it was the perfect time to grade the road. This filled the culvert with sand and rocks. I approached one and asked when he would have the culvert open again. I was told to go to hell and it was my responsibility to clean out the culvert. So I conferred with a lawyer,wrote all the residents of Paris Heights Lane registered letters citing the laws about redirecting storm water runoff, suggested a possible solution and asked them to curb their dog before I was forced to bring in the lawyers. I was told there was no need for lawyers. They would clean out the culvert and make it functional. Problem solved.
The caretakers moved their redirection operation up the hill just out of the line of sight from LaFayette Lane. I happened to walk up there once and found someone had used a backhoe and had broken through the large mound of earth that lines the drainage ditch. Wanting to keep the peace I let it slide because it didn’t work anyway. I happened to drive up Paris Heights lane a year later and found where someone had broken through the mound in 4 places. They still did not function.
This past spring I was approached by one of the new neighbors on Paris Heights Lane. He told me of their new plan to increase the runoff ditches by making them a lot wider and much deeper. I walked up Paris Heights Lane and found 4 bulldozer wide swaths cut through the earthen mound. So this is way my driveway has suddenly turned into a running stream every time it rains. I tell them how much damage I am getting. I am told “We like this solution” and “Get used to it, more is coming”. And more arrived with this past Friday’s rain. My driveway is now two running ditches of water. I have lost 11 inches of road bed in three years and about 3.5” this year. To further exacerbate the situation the caretakers have created a dam at the end of my driveway so the storm runoff gathers in a pool there and does not damage their side of the driveway apron. When the weather gets cold and stormy those two troughs of water and that pool will be ice. So they have made the last 150 feet of my driveway, with the 30 foot vertical drop, sheer ice until I get to the road.
I consulted two lawyers. There are two statues that are being violated. One concerning the redirection of storm water runoff. The other a Right of Way across your land must be maintained. I just want them to stop destroying it. The entire group on Paris Heights Lane decided to change the covenant from an equalfinancial responsibility for both roads to a situation where I pay for their road and they get to wreck mine. Yes, they demanded money.
It will cost $5K - $10K for a lawyer tostop them from breaking the law. Clarke County, when faced with massive erosion from unlawful activities and work done with no permits, does nothing. Here’s your suggestion: Enforce the laws we have so the little guy isn’t dominated by some hillbilly with a bulldozer.
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