What can you do on your own land?

[lildog]

I remember reading a thread here not long ago about a guy who had a junkyard on his property and the town fighting him about it.

Well in Merrimack it sounds as if there is a similar situation.  On the Merrimack forum it began with a resident asking about zoning laws to which some of us directed him in the right direction.  Soon after the neighbor he was asking about was identified as they were written about in the paper for having a 2 year old cost out of their driveway in a car while the mother was doing drugs in the house.  The mother has since been arrested and charged with a number of issues.

That aside several people living around this home are not complaining about junk left in the yard, the grass being left uncut, animals on the property (even though they admit the zone allows for the keeping of such animals), junk cars, a trailer in which a relative lives (better then the woman living in the car if you ask me) and most recently the use of ATVs on this property.

Now aside from the child being left unattended and drugs there is nothing illegal from what I?ve gathered about how these people are using their property other then the fact they are slobs and the neighbors don?t approve of them.  And the woman is already facing charges for the first two issues.

Here?s the discussion up to this point?

http://www.merrimackforum.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2190

Anyway, the more I read the more I?m growing concerned over this as they first want an area in town where people can ride ATVs which sounds like nothing more then a not in my back yard issue and they?ve already created such an area right near where I live (those of us on the north end of town seem to continually be the dumping ground for anything the rest of the town dislikes in their own back yards such as the transfer station they built there as well).  And when I?m reading people saying their neighbors didn?t own animals when they first moved in really hits home as I currently don?t own animals but I purchased a home with a barn with the hopes of someday owning them.  That?s all I?d need is someone screaming that I never had them before so now it?s a problem.

[GT]

Should the town be able to force you to maintain your property to a specific standard? What if the passed an ordinance requireing your lawn be mowed once per week, you must fertilize or hire Chemlawn. Maybe they should no allow toy in the yard too.? I've followed the discussion over on the Merrimack forum. If the neighbors don't like it the should leave.

The junkyard story was from Londonderry. Londonderry had several junk yards that have been here for years without a problem. The town has since required licenseing of all junkyards. In other words the town wants them all closed, but could'nt needed a legal way to do it. Everytime one of the junkyard owners renews their permit they get run through the ringer. THey are required to put up fencing, landscape, limit business hours etc. The net effect has been several yards closing because they cannot afford to fight the town and the neighbors. Years ago if you didn't want to live next to a junkyard you didn't buy the house next door. Today you buy the house and use the the town zoning to kick the guy out. The town will tell you that the yards are "grandfathered" but the still have to jump through a thousand hoops to keep thier business.

[Otosan]

When they have shut down all the junkyards, where will all the scrap metal go? 

Into the land fills to fiill up faster, be thrown out on the roads, or left sitting in a yard to rust, gather bugs and or rats?

[Lloyd Danforth]

I'm guessing they will never go away, just become rediculusly expensive to run due to regulations.
I can see the writing on the wall in my own trade, painting, carpentry and renovation.
The cost for dumpsters and dumping is going to hit the roof and you will not be allowed to put practically anything into them.
I see a future where when I buy a gallon of thinner, I will have to leave a deposit, returned when I come back with 3/4 of a gallon of used thinner. Maybe returned!

[cathleeninnh]

Speaking of dumpster costs. I saw an ad for Dumpster Depot. $300 for up to 4 days and removal of no more than 3000 pounds of trash. Sounds kind of expensive to me.

Cathleen

[KBCraig]

Speaking of dumpster costs. I saw an ad for Dumpster Depot. $300 for up to 4 days and removal of no more than 3000 pounds of trash. Sounds kind of expensive to me.

Cathleen

Yeah, it's funny how that happens when there's a government-controlled monopoly on landfills, and a government-controlled monopoly on waste-hauling franchises. 

Kevin

[lildog]

Speaking of dumpster costs. I saw an ad for Dumpster Depot. $300 for up to 4 days and removal of no more than 3000 pounds of trash. Sounds kind of expensive to me.

Yeah, it's funny how that happens when there's a government-controlled monopoly on landfills, and a government-controlled monopoly on waste-hauling franchises.?

Oh don?t get me started on that one.? There was a landfill on the end of the road I live on (about .5 miles from my house)? I knew that moving in but I didn?t know it was unlined.? So having well water I routinely ask for copies of the water quality tests they perform every year.

Anyway, two years ago the state forced the town to close it? so rather then letter commercial business compete to haul the trash out of town the town in it?s infinite wisdom chose to set up a transfer station which local haulers can take trash to or local residence can dump their trash ?free of charge?.? The haulers meanwhile found commercial sites outside of town were much cheaper then the town run facility so they avoid using it.? What?s left is a facility costing more then it would have for the town to have contracted with a private hauler to service the entire town and only about one third of the town actually use this current facility for this exorbitant amount.

So being as I live so close I self haul my trash and the other two thirds of the town pay the majority of the costs associate with it.? And what sucks is I could have curbside pick up for exactly the same as what I pay now.

And Merrimack government having the magnificent brain power it has figured it would be even cheaper for us to BUY trucks since the cost of the trucks would ?pay for itself? after about 4 years vs. what we were paying to have the trash taken from this middle man transfer station to it?s final destination (which local haulers are doing for LESS by avoiding the station).? And when I asked in the budget meeting when we saw several new line items being added to the budget where the lines for maintenance for these trucks were I was told they are new and don?t need word done yet? do I guess these trucks don?t use oil or anything like that.? Mean while other departments are budgeting tens of thousands a year for regular vehicles (these are 18 wheelers).

And don?t even get me going on the fact that they chose to having these 18-wheelers go up and down winding country roads since the station is at the far north west corner of town.? The landfill at the same site didn?t have trucks going back and forth so the roads were only used for small trash trucks and residents.

Oh I could go on and on and on and on about the cluster cluck Merrimack has going with their trash facility but we?re getting off topic.? This is about what people can do with their own private land.? And from what I gathered this house in Merrimack isn?t running a dump it?s just a very un-kept home with animals and ATVers.