Thank You For The Pond In My Back Yard!
By James Vaughn
March 12, 2006
When the Federal Housing built up the land surrounding my home, I warned the Housing
Authority back when they were doing this, "You are messing with the drainage of my
back yard"! Their trucks had cut deep ruts in my back yard, and I demanded they fix
the damage, and they did fix the ruts.
The drainage problem however was not fixed. I pointed out back when the Housing put
the new sidewalks in, and built up the land surrounding their housing units, that all
the drainage was going to end up in my back yard.
Two years ago I asked The Lions Club if I could dig a small
trench to the north side of their building, they went inside and came back
out after discussing my request, and I can only guess there was some kind of
miscommunication, for they wanted a "ditch with rocks" (what was described was a
"mini-Lock and Dam", which would have cost me thousands of dollars) running
north and south, to the east of their building. I replied, "All I Asked For Was A
Drainage Trench"!
Now, look at the problem at hand. My back yard looks like a small pond!
We did not have a flooding problem until The Federal Housing created it with the
'renovations' to the Housing Units, I hold The Williamson County Housing Authority
solely responsible for this flooding problem, which has been documented since the
problem's creation.
We can do a variety of things to remedy the situation, and I hope we can work
together and come up with a solution before this ends up in court.
For starters, The Housing Authority can kindly tell their tenants not to rake the
leaves and debris from the Housing Unit property onto my property, which happens to
be Private Property.
You can allow me to dig a small trench to drain the water into the storm
drains.
I only ask permission to dig to the north of the Lions Club, which runs south of The
Housing Unit property, which the water will drain down Stone Street south, to the
storm drains on East Illinois Avenue.
It's that simple.
If this drags out and I am fined for "standing water" in my back yard, you can bet
this will end up in court.
If I am fined, both The Housing Authority and The Carterville Lions Club have forced
me to break State Laws regarding standing water.
When someone forces another party(s) to not be in compliance with the law, that in
itself is illegal.
Please note, going on the twentieth year I have lived here, I have never "raised any
disgust" that on the west boundary of my property, The Carterville Lions Club has a
concrete slab, and yet another concrete slab in which their heating/air conditioning
unit actually resides on my property. I have even "weed eated" the grass against the
Lions Club building, when my yard is mowed.
Last year, on May 5th, 2005., I picked up the nails that were tossed onto my
property, in an attempt keep my lawn mower from getting flat tires (which I did
sustain two flat tires which were repaired at my cost).
These nails were tossed onto my property when the old siding was ripped off the
building, during the renovation of The Lions Club building.
The pictures below were taken March 12, 2006. Let me ask those of you involved in
this matter, would you like it if your once beautiful back yard looked like the
pictures below?
I have voiced my disgust and it fell on deaf ears. Now I am asking you kindly to
help me remedy this situation. Water is backed up to my sidewalk. Leaves and branches
have floated from The Housing unit property onto mine, just who is left to clean this
mess up? Just look at this big mess in my back yard, it's a disgrace!
I am hoping we all can come to a kind resolution to this situation, but be assured I
am not afraid to challenge you in The Courts if I have to do it that way.
You know how to contact me, and I await your answer.
Please take time out to look at the pictures below.
These pictures were taken off the back step of my home. Let me ask you, would you
allow this to happen to your property?
Sincerely,
James Vaughn
March 12, 2006