Who says you cant fight city hall?

[Flyinfool]

For the last 3 years I have been fighting city hall over getting one of their trees removed from in front of my house.

Every time I call the forestry dept I get the same song and dance about how their budget is small and maybe they can get to it next year.

This tree has been dead on the top half for the last 3 years. up till this year it has just been an eyesore and a nuisance picking up all of the dead twigs falling out of it.

This past summer it dropped a 6" diameter branch on a car parked in front of my house causing damage to the car (no ones that I know). The police were involved so that there would be a record of it. I also contacted my alderman to complain about it. My alderman contacted the city forestry dept and they said they would try to get to it this winter.

 

This last weekend it dropped a good size branch that just missed another parked car. the attached pics are of this latest branch and where it landed.

 

I sent another email with these pics to the alderman and the Mayor, yesterday. Today I got an email from the mayor that he talked to the forestry dept and the tree will come down on 11-9-10.

 

I hope I have lit the fire under the right butt this time.

I did put the letter in the terms that these branches coming down are big enough to cripple or even kill someone walking down the sidewalk and the tree is so rotten that it could easily fall over and there is no direction that it can go where it will not land on either a house or a main power line. I just hope it is a hortheast wind that takes it down cuz I really need a new roof. In pic 4 you can just see the split that is running up the tree, that split is on the side straight away from my house and is currently about 2 inches wide, more than a foot deep and about 10 feet long.

[naturbar]

is there some ordinance that prevents you from taking it down? i know some places have too many rules & regs. hope it gets taken care of .....

[Bubber]

When in doubt always state that it is a sfety hazard and them ask them who owns the car that the limb hit so you can inform him that you have asked the city to remove it for over a year. That usually get their attention.

 

Either that or call 911 and go lay in the street under the limb. LOL

 

Good luck ther Flyinfool

 

:dancefool:

[Flyinfool]

is there some ordinance that prevents you from taking it down? i know some places have too many rules & regs. hope it gets taken care of .....

 

No I can not take it down myself, I asked, besides there is the liability of it overhanging power lines and 2 houses that I do not want to deal with. It is the cities tree on city property, so it is their problem.

The city lucked out on the car that was damaged, I did call the police for that one, when the LEO ran the plates, it came back to someone that had an arrest warrant, so it is my guess that the owner will not be contacting the city for the damages.

 

Bubber

I did put it very strongly that it is a much greater safety hazard than the sidewalk blocks that are 1/2 inch out of alignment that they are forcing me to replace at $120 each.

[LilBeaver]

...

I did put it very strongly that it is a much greater safety hazard than the sidewalk blocks that are 1/2 inch out of alignment that they are forcing me to replace at $120 each.

 

 

Dang, I thought I was the only one getting bent over by the city I live in... Sheesh.

 

I got a letter in the mail a few weeks ago suggesting that I mow the street or they would bill me 250 + whatever it costs a company to come out and do it for me... I have been complaining about the bushes and tree coming out of the middle of the street for the two years I've been there.

 

Good luck with your sidewalk blocks.

 

As far as the tree is concerned, maybe it could use a nudge or two with a large vehicle to fall in the direction of your soon to be replaced roof. So long as there are no witnesses and no marks on the bumper - no problem, right?

[Snaggletooth]

Jeff,

 

Be glad you live where you do. Around here it would be YOUR problem. A few years back a neighbor had the same situation. Dieing tree between the curb and the sidewalk and dropping limbs into the street, sidewalk and surrounding yards. Big tree!! Every couple of years the city would come by and trim back the limbs that were a threat to the power lines on the one side. He had requested help from the city on several occasions to take the tree down. Nope.....on his property.....his problem.

 

When the tree started to give out it started to buckle the sidwalk also. The local old biddy busybody filed a complaint with the city and he got a notice in the mail that he had 45 days to remove the tree.

 

He was an older fella, maybe early 80's and long retired, living alone on a fixed income living in a house he owned and had been paid off for decades. Great neighbor to. Always friendly and outgoing. He contacted several tree companies and the qoutes were nuts. Started around $6,500 and ran up to $8,000.

 

Several of us in the neighborhood got together and figured we could take it down for him. The problem was there was no room to drop it. It would have to come straight down because of the power lines and street. We went to the city and requested a permit to close the street off for 24 hours to take it down. That got denied.

 

It ended up with the city stepping in and doing it. They billed him for everything. They never closed the street off but had it blocked with work trucks for two days while they removed the danged thing.

 

Once that was done......he got another notice in the mail. He had 30 days to replace the damaged section of sidewalk. That much we were able to help him with.

 

But this is a city where they can't find time to plow the side streets or fill the foot deep pot holes for months on end.

 

But my Dad used to say "You can't fight city hall.......but you can damn well set fire to their porch!"

 

Mike

[Flyinfool]

I do have one ace in the hole for just in case the city should try to bill me for the tree removal.

 

The tree is actually located on my neighbors side of the lot line, and that house next door is owned by an absentee slumlord, so my actual neighbors (nice people) will not be the ones stuck with the bill.

 

When I got home from work today, there were temporary no parking signs up and the area all around the tree was barricaded. The mayor must have come to check it out and lit some fires of his own.

[dmoff1698]

This is why I live where I do.

 

No city ordinances, no county regulations, no busy-body neighborhood associations, mow my grass when and if I decide to, build anything - when and where I want.

 

I paid for this property with my sweat and blood without help from any of these agencies, so they can kiss it where the sun don't shine.

 

I must be in a bad mood.

[Scooter Bob]

From what the weatherman says, it should be down by Wednesday!

 

Maybe you'll have yer new roof before winter!

 

Good Luck, Scooter Bob

[Yammer Dan]

Whats a City??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have one on Railroad property.

Good luck hope it comes out good for you.

[Flyinfool]

Yup, I just watched the weather, winds are supposed to be steady at 40+ with gusts to 60+. Add to that some severe storms, and tornado watches, should be a fun night.

The weather dude said that this is very likely to be the most severe storm to ever hit S.E. WI.

 

The wind direction will be wrong for me to get a new roof out of it.

[Scooter Bob]

The wind direction will be wrong for me to get a new roof out of it.

 

Better get a winch attached to what's left of yer chimney to help it out! LOL

 

Later, Scooter Bob

[CaptainJoe]

In dealing with any branch of gov. or agency or even a neighbor it's always wise to document the problem, and send the documentation along with your concerns through the mail "Registered".

That way they cannot say they weren't aware of a "public saftey" problem. Kinda like sending kryptonite to Superman, they wont like it.

If something bad happens after the date of the registered letter any good lawyer will be making plans for what type of pool they want...

Have never sued anyone in my life and hope I never have to, but have sent a few registered letters

[Bwhite]

Four years ago the city tore up the streets in our neighborhood and replaced everything. They also buried a sump pump tile on each side of the street to hook the basement sump pumps into so water would no longer pump out into the curb.

It turned out to be a disaster.

1. Our two sump pump drain lines got tied into the the street tile before they were suppose too. None of the other neighbors homes did because the workers stopped when they dug up the next door neighbors tv cable. Was later told they don't tie these in until right before putting down the new overlayment.

2. A contractor dump truck drove on part of the buried sump tile and crushed it.

3. We got 6 inches of rain one night and water flooded the street, filled up the perforated sump tile line buried in the street and backed up mud puddle colored rain water into our basement backwards through the sump pump drain pipes. It was backing up water past the sump pumps while they were running. I had to find my two buried sump pump drain lines outside in the yard at 3:00 in the morning while it's pouring rain and lightning crazy, dig a hole aroung them and cut off 6" to relieve the pressure from shooting muddy water into the basement.

Called the city on Monday morning and the Head Engineer came out and looked at it and told me that there was something wrong because no one should be tied into the sump tile at this point in the project.

Anyway.......after months of going after the city, getting the League of Cities involved, we were told that the city was not culpable for any damages and that the flooding was caused by the homeowner altering the sump drain lines and that there was no indication to the contrary because no one else in the neighborhood had a problem. We could have taken the city to civil court to try and recover damage losses, but after already loosing one time with all the photographs we had, including a pic of the contractors replacing the smashed tile line which they left sitting in the yard for a week after digging it up, we decided to just forget it. Never to trust these people again.

[Condor]

Kinda looks like a Modesto Ash. Expected life is about 45 years...

[Flyinfool]

I was guessing that it was some kind of ash. And since the ash borer beetle was discovered in this city, the wood can not be taken out of the city for fireplace use.

[eagleeye]

Hey Jeff,

By this point in the day, I wouldn't want to be parked anywhere near that tree. It's really howling out there!

 

In town here, any tree on the parkway, the village is responsible for. They trim them and take them down and no expense to the property owners.

I was thinking fire wood when I saw your post. Also here, the property owner gets first chance at the wood. maybe a neighbor burns wood.

 

Steve

[Flyinfool]

Last year I had inquired about keeping the tree for firewood when it comes down. That was before the emerald ash borer was discovered less than 1 mile away. I am not sure what all rules are now imposed on that tree due to the beetle.

 

With this wind, maybe it will be down by the time I get home.

At 8:00 this morning there was a confirmed tornado that went through somewhere between me here at work and my house. Heck of a storm, The weather dude on the radio this morning said that this will be the 2nd worst storm in the Midwest in recorded history. This is supposed to have the same central pressure as a cat 3 hurricane.

 

It looks like the center of the storm is tracking north thru Minnesota. I hope you guys are hanging on to something over there.

[dray]

Dang, I thought I was the only one getting bent over by the city I live in... Sheesh.

 

I got a letter in the mail a few weeks ago suggesting that I mow the street or they would bill me 250 + whatever it costs a company to come out and do it for me... I have been complaining about the bushes and tree coming out of the middle of the street for the two years I've been there.

 

Good luck with your sidewalk blocks.

 

As far as the tree is concerned, maybe it could use a nudge or two with a large vehicle to fall in the direction of your soon to be replaced roof. So long as there are no witnesses and no marks on the bumper - no problem, right?

 

and this from someone who had a problem with me saying id call the leo and say some drunk allmost hit me to get them off the A$$es and get there So now we know your no better are you

no problem, right? so dont call the law! but scaming the City or insurance co. is ok im starting to see the light

 

DRAY

[Flyinfool]

I think/hope that the idea of hitting the tree with a vehicle was meant in jest, at least that is how I took it.

Even as rotten as that tree is it is still big enough to stop a semi in its tracks and stay standing. Trees just do not move very easy, especially big ones.

[Bubber]

So did your tree go down last night? The wind here was at least 50MPH gusts.

Don't park near that tree for a few days because it isn't letting up for a while.

[Flyinfool]

HA!

Just as the Mayor promised the tree from he11 is now just a stump that still needs to be ground out.

 

It only took them 3 hours to get it down and cleaned up.