Sep 16, 2011 10:45 AM
At 79, Southampton Village resident Mary Kosciusko no longer walks to the rear of her backyard on Anns Lane. But the rear of her yard, or, more specifically, the large hedge that abuts her property, appears to keep creeping closer to her—stray leaves and branches poking out and encroaching onto her land.
The offending hedge, which is owned by a neighbor, has not been trimmed in five years, she said. That is, the side facing her property has not been trimmed in that long—it appears that the other side has.
And Ms. Kosciusko is not alone. In Southampton Village, neighbor disputes over unkempt hedges are not unusual. Lacking ownership of the hedge, and unwilling to shell out the cash to maintain what is not theirs, they sought relief from the Village Board.
In... more
The offending hedge, which is owned by a neighbor, has not been trimmed in five years, she said. That is, the side facing her property has not been trimmed in that long—it appears that the other side has.
And Ms. Kosciusko is not alone. In Southampton Village, neighbor disputes over unkempt hedges are not unusual. Lacking ownership of the hedge, and unwilling to shell out the cash to maintain what is not theirs, they sought relief from the Village Board.
In... more
forgive me, i did not mean to trivialize your plight. god speed.
i am off to Washington to tackle my own problems, you see my neighbor's drapes clash with the color schemes of my house. surely something can be done.
The horror, oh, the horror.
Ensuring "middle class" landscapers have business, and sanitation professionals can manuever driveways with ease...
FINE.
Crap.
Just doesn't have the same vibrance...
So, who's fault is that?
Not the people in enforcement, who have failed to build a petaflop capable database, to monitor the use of SS numbers for fraud. Crap, we should get one. But, that would probably be too "Big Brother" for most of you small government advocates.
Not the people who fail to run checks on the status of their children's SS numbers. That's not one of the biggest scams going, or anything. You have a kid under 18, who hasn't ...more had a taxpaying job yet, I'd check biannually if their SS number is being used by an unauthorized party. Might save a few major headaches when they head off to college.
You've got a problem with "illegals"? Participate in nullifying their behavior.
Otherwise, stifle it.
Mr. Z, there is no longer a traffic light at this intersection, and it has not been there for at least a year or two. 2011 here.
Probably about that long, usually use Olde Towne, or First Neck.
Then why post a comment which is factually inaccurate?
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Gee, now that I think about it, that happens ALL the time. Put up a traffic light for 3, or 4 years, and then decide "Awww, who the h**l needs it.". You constantly see that happening. Maybe the light at 7-11 could be next, eh?
At this point, for that matter, I really should cordially invite you to engage in copious amounts of self stimulation, with your very own person.
Kind of early isn't it for you to be following your own advice? !!!
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Welcome to the Plutocracy of failed economic policy, and regulation. Or, when it comes to regulation and enforcement, the lack thereof.
If people don't have to spend the money on upkeep, they won't. Unless of course, it's the law. It's not about caring, it's about priorities. Would you rather pay for a landscaper's upkeep, or pay your property taxes, and keep food on the table? What if you work too d**n hard to do it yourself as often as societal ...more convention would necessarily dictate?
I hope I never become so static as I grow old.
They can only enforce it if you plead guilty to the ticket. Technically the fine is unenforceable. The fine is actually $100 for no beach permit according to Village Code, other than Lake Agawam, so the ticket written for $250 at a beach is technically not valid. Apparently, authoring legislation is not the Village's strong point.
Unless, ...more of course, things have changed...
First, the law is hopelessly vague and ill-defined. [see PDF link at top of article, and read the text]
A "Boundary Line Hedge" is defined as "a hedge located along or near a boundary line between adjoining parcels."
First, what happened to the legal term "property line" ???
Second, please define "along" and "near." How many feet inside the common property line do these terms encompass? If a "suspicious" hedge ...more was TEN FEET inside the property line (to exaggerate), would the law consider it to be "along" or "near" the shared property line? Why is this not defined?
We live in a democracy, and NOTICE of what the law permits, or disallows, is an important part of our Rule of Law. "Notice" indeed is the fence (or hedge, if you will) which separates our freedoms from the whims of petty bureaucratic tyrants. Sorry to get melodramatic here, but this law is so over the top IMO !!!
If the entire "offensive" hedge is within the property of the alleged offender, what business is it what shape or form it has? Will the SH Village board next pass a law about how well-pruned the shrubs are on YOUR property?
How about how about the paint quality on YOUR house?
Add to this CRUCIAL legislation the following laws which are still on the books apparently:
-- nipple exposure
-- lawns which are not mowed
-- outdoor clothes-drying lines (this might be a SH Town law)
-- hedges at street intersections over 4' in height (previously referenced by many posters)
PS -- And SH Village paid Mr. DePetris to research this law and draft it? And we paid the board to pass it? Retirement of tired thinkers is always an option, again in my personal opinion.
How many person-hours were expended on this ridiculous legislative endeavor, from the very beginning to the final end (which may be a long distance in the future indeed)?
Is there a new line item in the SH Village budget for the above ...more expenditure, including the new position of Chief Hedge Inspector? Perhaps the same person could also be the Head Nipple Inspector?
This language is "vague" beyond comprehension!
Surely the SH Village Board and its attorney can do better than this.
Toto, bring in the Inspectors -- both Hedge and Nipple !
The article stated that cheers rang out (to paraphrase) when the Board agreed to enact the new legislation. Also, this legislation was brought to the Board by the people. Are those people in favor of this the minority? Maybe, but the majority didn't bother to offer their ...more opinion. What is the Board supposed to do? They are going to pander to what the people want, because if they do those same people will vote for them.
I'm waiting for HHS to chime in about how this is tyrannical or something and then inquire to the people general if someone can do his research for him. Stop being armchair critics - go to your Town Board meetings, write to your elected officials and make a stance. I doubt the Board reads the comments on 27east, and if they do they must laugh - I can't imagine they actually sit there and say "boy, people like PBR are right!"
/rant
Second, no I don't go to any public meetings of any governmental boards or agencies. Why would one waste enormous time leading a thirsty horse to water when she clearly does not want ...more to drink?
Third, you seem to think that the public meetings are the ONLY public forums.
Well wake up, THIS is the real public forum and debate, and if the SH Village and SH Town Boards do NOT check these forums (among other online "public meetings") then their refusal to listen here is THEIR LOSS.
"The Times, They Are a'Changin' !"
PS -- when are you and joe hampton going to announce your engagement?
joe, what's up with your new Natural friend?
This is a terrible piece of legislation, because to enforce it, the CHIEF HEDGE INSPECTOR will have the so-called authority to go out on her own to see if the terrorist hedge is overgrown, unsightly, near, or along etc. etc..
Really, this is absurd.
If you feel that this law could withstand Constitutional muster, then please post your street ...more address here, and authorize the Southampton Village Board, and the Chief Hedge Inspector, to inspect your property for illegal hedge growth. While they are on YOUR property under the false veil of an illegitimate law, please ask them to inspect your shrubs near the property line, as well as the quality of the paint on your house.
Let's refrain from what the Chief N. I. might find!
Have a good evening.
I wrote Town Board when of course it should have read Village Board - though that's a minor semantic error and the overall message still applies (especially considering most issues on this site are Town matters [be it Southampton or East Hampton]).
It is not a waste of time - if the room had been 3/4 full of detractors and 1/4 full of supporters, you believe ...more the result would have been the same? It would, at the very least, have given the VILLAGE Board (almost wrote Town - whoopsie) an opportunity to take more time to look at the issue. It is my belief (and I think it cannot be argued by a common sense citizen) that the Boards will do what their voters want - ergo if the majority of the people in the boardroom were against it, the board would have sided with them on this particular piece of legislation. People who show up to meetings are the people who vote in every election and will remember when a particular official did what the public wanted.
The same logic often applies to the Trustees and ZBA officials (though it should be noted ZBA reps are appointed - not elected, but being popular with the people helps your case a lot when re-appointment comes 'round). It is in the best interest of the Trustees to approve what their constiuents want - if I want a dock and it gets denied by my respective Trustee (in Southampton the Trustees are assigned areas) I would think twice about re-electing them. If they approve it, what reason do I have to not vote for them? I might need something from them again in the future. (And if you are going to state that the entire BOARD makes the decision, not an individual I will tell you to actually go to their meetings. The remaining trustees fall in line with whatever is recommended by the official charged with that section of the Town).
Based on the article, it is very clear that there are a significant amount of residents in the Village who support this legislation (and indeed suggested it - Epley did not come up with this one night in a dream). Even if you are under the belief that these meetings are a waste of your time (because the board's decision is pre-determined) you at the very least should express your opinions (and queries, especially regarding definitions such as those you posted above) in writing which can and will be added to the official record.
While these message forums can be useful to the general public, elected officials should not waste a minute of their time reading into them. It is obvious that there is a small group of people (myself incldued) who comment on these issues. We in no way represent the majority of the Town's People and our opinions are worthless (especially when hidden behind the veil of annonimity). Write a letter, go to a meeting, meet with your elected officials. Otherwise, quit your crying and stop expecting the Boards to setup an RSS feed on PBR's endless line of questions of which he is clearly too lazy to research himself. I have a lovely four letter word for you PBR...
F
O
I
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Good night.
But, if you want to make a difference, get involved. You don't want to get involved, get out of the way of those that do and accept the results. If you're not part of the solution . . . you know the rest.
A rather savant move, in my opinion. If persons refuse to do the "right thing', it seems we must legislate it's action. Rather civil, in a way. Common sense should say it's your hedge, you bought it AND the house. Trim the whole d**n thing
You don't eat half a Reese's, do you? You don't go halfway to where you are going, right? This is just an example of that. Something half, well, you know...
Hedges are the responsibility of the owner;we should not have to legislate upkeep.
Owners and their neighbors should work together to come to an agreement about the maintenance of the hedge without having to be forced to.
Unfortunately,in todays society there is too much mistrust and suspicion between neighbors.
As long as there is no inherent risk to personal, or public safety on one's property, KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF MY BUSINESS.
Mouthampton, indeed.
That's my rationale.
(Except Phil but thats par for the course)
Which landscaping company do you own-the one that parked on my lawn and ran over three of my sprinklers heads?
The Hedge police!!