Relax, calm down and get ready for summer—it’s almost here!

NEIGHBORLY CONCERNS

So ends the winter and spring peace… and begins the joys of summer.

More than likely the same thing happens in any other resort / tourist type community.

There are good things and nasty things all rolled up in one big bundle.

Sure, it’s great to see the people walking Main Street, going in and out of the shops and restaurants.

Our retailers, restaurants owners and shops certainly need the activity. Fall, winter and spring makes for a long time to wait for some good sales.

However, what may not be so visible on Main Street is some of the activity going on off Main Street, the thousands of properties along the lakes and roads that make up this Western Adirondack town.

The Town’s summer residents are moving back in, opening their “camp” and getting ready for another summer, full of anticipation for fun, relaxation, renewal, fresh air and catching up with all their summer neighbors.

Did you know that not all neighbors get along? Imagine that!

While Main Street is bustling with smiley faces, there is no lack of frowning faces when people discover that neighbors have dumped all kinds of brush, rubbish or construction debris into their yards.

Or that a neighbor built a new garage or boathouse and it changes the view from their windows.

Maybe they built an addition, added a second floor, put in a new dock, built a lean-to… even just changing the color of a building.

Here in the Code Office, and probably any other Code Office, we get plenty of calls regarding this type of stuff.

Some are legitimate complaints and may actually constitute a violation of the Zoning Ordinance or the NYS Uniform Code. And some issues can’t be dealt with.

One thing is for sure, no Code Office has the ability to address all the issues that come in on a Friday afternoon on the same day… Friday afternoon.

The Town of Webb is a huge town. There are over 480 square miles of territory, and most of it is hard to get to.

When there are numerous things that get called in, all before 10 o’clock in the morning, choices need to be made as to which one to respond to first.

Someone starting a “brush” fire the size a of typical garage and filling the Old Forge area with smoke, or driving twenty miles to look at leaves someone raked across the property line… which one do you deal with first?

A complaint about a business owner putting another sign up without a permit or doing reinforcing steel inspections for footings before the concrete truck gets there… which one do you deal with first?

Someone calls in who has an active permit and is installing a new septic system; they started the work and found a huge piece of ledge rock right where the leach field has to go.

The contractor has men and equipment at a standstill [$$$$].

The rock was not discovered during the site analysis by the engineer.

Or someone calls in about their neighbor playing music too loud… which one do you go to first?

Way too many times it is assumed that the local Police or the Code Enforcement Officer can resolve neighborly disputes, which in many cases are civil matters, not under the jurisdiction of either the Police or the Code Officer.

The best resolution of neighborly disputes is neighborly cooperation. Imagine that!

Typically, once the Police or Code Enforcement get involved with a neighborly dispute, the level of animosity between the neighbors increases substantially, thus making resolution potentially even farther away.

This office will investigate all complaints, in due time and based on priority of life safety.

If Zoning can help in the resolution of the problem and enforcement is warranted, it will take place. In the mean time, relax.

Go to Main Street and find a great meal, buy a new Adirondack chair, sit in it and enjoy the reason you are here.

Welcome back!!