Conflicts between residents, new businesses aren't unique
Editor:
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The News-Times recently published a good letter from my neighbor, Joe Riggio, about the lights staying on all night long at Mellow Mushroom. I am having the same problem; I get up sometimes thinking it is daybreak, only to find out it's only 4 a.m.
I went to the office of Development Services Division Director Richard Harmon and spoke face to face about my problem. He said "That's not good." He told me they were going to have a meeting about the problems that night, and after the meeting was over he would ride by my home and take a look himself. I have known Harmon for close to 40 years; he is a good man and will get back in touch with me as soon as possible.
I also have heard trash trucks over there as early as 5:30 a.m. This is totally uncalled for, as are young people out in the parking lot talking loud and playing the radio loud, and car alarms going off for long periods of time.
My wife has to get up at 5 a.m. in order to get to work by 7 a.m. She is not getting a full night's rest due to the noise of doors slamming and motorcycles revving up with little or no mufflers. Our bedroom is less than 50 feet from their parking lot.
My tax value on my home went up close to $20,000 when it should have gone down, because no one will buy this property with all of these problems around us.
I also have had a continuous problem with water runoff from the Express Lube for a long time now. Every time we have a hard rain, my back and side yard gets flooded.
I have had the floodwater people out here several times and they tell me it's not their problem, that it is between me and the owner of Express Lube. Come on, now; when is the county going to step up and say, "We will fix the problem"? I thought this is why we all are paying extra on our water bill - the water runoff fee, I think it's called.
All of us in this neighborhood are not mad at these businesses. We just want our privacy back and the flooding stopped.
It can be fixed!
Lawson E. Templeton Jr.
Evans