John & Jane Smith
10000
N. Brown Street
Anytown, MI 49000
William Howard, Village Council/Streets/TLFPA
600 Government Street
Anytown,
MI 49000
CC:
President
Pro-Tem
Village Council/Building & Parks
Village Council/Equipment
Village Council/Finance/Sanitation
Village Council /Public Safety/TLASA
Public Works Director
Dear Mr. Howard,
My wife, son, and I have resided at 10000
N. Brown St in Anytown for
over five years. The friendly,
comfortable livability of this beautiful community is the main reason we chose
to call Anytown our home although we are not natives
of this part of the country. Up until
this point, we have been very happy. Unfortunately
an issue we must address has risen, and we are asking for your assistance.
Recently a new road was engineered by the Village
of Anytown
just east of our property. During snow
removal, the Village’s grader turns the corner onto Brown
Street and deposits the snow from the road
directly in front of our driveway.
Although I am sure this is just an oversight, this practice causes
numerous problems. First, we must remove
the snow from our driveway to access the road.
This burr is much larger than in previous years when the area was
maintained by Any County. Second, damage
has been caused to our snow equipment due to the gravel contained in the road
snow. Although the damage has been minor
so far, I doubt the intent of the Village is to cause residents undue trouble
and property damage. We would be happy
to work with the Village to suggest snow removal practices more conducive to
both the community and the Village.
Although the snow removal practice causes us inconvenience
and minor damage, another issue which could accumulate and develop catastrophic
consequences also exists. During the
spring, the natural run-off of melted snow from the property west of the road
has been east towards the Anytown
River. Many times our backyard has flooded when this
occurs because drainage has not been updated in this area. What concerns us most is the new road is two
to three feet higher than the adjacent property to the east and only one
culvert exists to expel water. The road,
already covered with snow, impedes the culvert.
We fear if the culvert is not maintained in an open fashion the spring
run-off will cause disastrous and financially devastating property damage to
our residence. Blocked water will enter
our garage destroying property, including a historic motorcycle housed
within. The water could, in the
foreseeable future, enter our basement also; further causing thousands of
dollars of property damage, including destroying our boiler and water
heater. The destruction would make this
property uninhabitable.
As you can see, our concerns are valid, and we are taking a
proactive stance in protecting our property and preventing what could become a
costly litigation process. We welcome
your assistance in this matter and are available to work with the Village to
solve the problem of the new road’s snow removal and topographical implications. We would appreciate a resolution as soon as
possible to prevent further damage.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
John Smith
Jane Smith