How to Solve a Problem
Have you ever noticed an overgrown lawn, full of tall weeds, making all the houses around it look poor? Have you ever wondered if you made a huge mistake by buying your home that is now underwater? Have you ever thought, “I am so tired of living in this neighborhood, I wish I could move.”? Have you ever been embarrassed to invite friends to your home because they will have to drive down narrow streets, packed with cars, knowing when your friends arrive, they will have no place to park?
Does someone in your neighborhood run a business with big work trucks taking up “your” parking space? Are you frustrated by your low property values when you have invested so much time and money in your home? Do your neighbors drive you crazy with their gazillion relatives, the multiple satellite dishes sprouting from roof tops like mushrooms, and six large trash cans left at the curb day in and day out? Do the barking dogs, screaming children and people throwing trash and litter in the street make you want to pull your hair?
If you answered “yes” to any one of those questions, I want to ask you one more: Have you ever made a complaint to the Prince William County Police or Neighborhood Services, Property Code Division for any of those things I listed?
I’ve worked as a volunteer for my community since 2006. I was trained with a group of other Neighborhood Leaders to help care for my community. We are the people who are determined to stop deteriorating neighborhoods and build better relationships with neighbors. You may think what your neighbors do or how they live does not affect you, but I assure you, it does. One horrible house on your block makes everyone else look bad and lowers your property values.
Over the years, we continue to help residents learn to care for their community along with us. The number one solution to neighborhood concerns is to talk to your neighbor. If that doesn’t work, the next step up is to contact PCE (Property Code Enforcement) or occasionally, the police department for parking violations, inoperable vehicles on the street and noise violations. For police, you call the non-emergency number: 703 792 6500. For PCE, you can use the online complaint form.
Sometimes, even that process doesn’t seem to work. We hear so many complaints alleging nothing is done about resident’s concerns that Delegate Rich Anderson has graciously offered to host a town hall meeting to help us sort out a solution.
The assumption on our part is that Neighborhood Services and the police are doing everything they can do under the current laws. If that assumption is correct, the current laws must not be sufficient to provide residents with the solutions they desire.
We’d like you to join us on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. in the Occoquan Room at the County Center and help us determine what needs done to improve our level of satisfaction and create a better appearance one would expect to find in the 9th most affluent county in the United States.
Looking forward to seeing you next weekend!
Wanda Carter
9:09 am on Tuesday, July 31, 2012
You are wrong to include satellite dishes as a problem in a neighborhood related to clean,and tidy. As far as the Prince William County Neighborhood Services, Property Code Division, they do nothing. Years ago a neighbor was reported for having a mulch pile in his back yard by a PWC person. He claimed to the Prince William County Neighborhood Services, Property Code Division that it was a compost pile. Any one with common knowledge knows you have to have a Bin for compost! Of course he got by with this, and still the mulch pile lays with his leaves that blow into my yard, and all that goes along with a mulch pile. It is against Prince William County code to have a mulch pile. They are a lot more that goes on, and the Prince William County Neighborhood Services, Property Code Division does nothing. They should all be fired because they never come along, and inspect any thing. I know this for a fact because myself, and two others that work for PWC just walked my street not long back, and found a lot of issues. If you want to do something about it then get them out of their offices, and get people in that will do what they should do.
Wanda Carter
John Bonich
7:03 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
"Does someone in your neighborhood run a business with big work trucks taking up “your” parking space? "... This sort of elitist attitude makes me sick. Not everyone in PWC, despite what Ms. Peacor and the Board claim, can make $60,000+ a year in a cushy office. The idea of hindering someone else's way of making a living simply because you don't like the asthetics is beyond rephrehensible. Its statism at its ugliest. The only time overgrown grass is an issue is usually on foreclosed properties. Other times, its because someone's lawn mower is broke and because of the high cost of living these days, they can't relpace it right away. I've lived in Woodbridge just about my whole life. its funny, Connie, no one complained about overcrowding on properties and the number of cars on the streets (which were plenty even 25 years ago) until the skin color of these people suddenly became brown.
Connie Moser
7:44 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Mr. Bonich, No one takes "my" parking space. I don't have a parking space. The street is public property. I have extended my driveway and widened it and added a garage in the 26 years I've lived in my home.
The problem I referred to has absolutely nothing to do with skin color and shame on you for even making such a statement. There is nothing "elitist" about residents' complaints regarding work trucks. There is a county ordinance that states no truck over 10,100 pounds can park in a residential area. It is for the safety and welfare of our residents and children. Large vehicles are a hazard in a neighborhood. What's more, a neighborhood is designed to be friendly and encourage relationships.
Wanda Carter
7:17 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
No big work trucks because they are not allowed to park on the street with a company name. My point was,and is why have Prince William County Neighborhood Services, Property Code Division when they do not do their job correct. It has nothing to do with 'is the law on the books!'
Chris Quirk Chitwood
8:27 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Folks: I attended the Town Hall Meeting on 4 August that Connie Moser graciously put together for any and all residents. I had a lot of complaints about my neighbors, the Neighborhood Services Division and the County. The way I saw it - if I didn't get out and try to solve my problem, I should not complain. There are many people in our community that share similar concerns and the the high turn out on Saturday proved that. Delegate Richard Anderson, Supervisor Mike May, the County Attorney and a representative from NSD all attended to hear our complaints. Of course, Rome wasn't built in a day, nor did we solve all the problems of the world on Saturday, but we did agree there are problems that need to be addressed, offered up suggestions and agreed to meet again at a later date. Now I CAN complain....I'm taking the steps to make my community better and will continue to support this group of good citizens.
Chris Armstrong
John Bonich
8:48 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Connie, again, if skin color is not an issue, tell me why it was not until a large influx of immigrants started moving into the county that it suddenly became a problem you and others who think along such lines feel to be worthy of legislation? If the street is wide enough for a small work truck (10,000 lbs-20,000 lbs), then why make an issue of it? Its difficult to find a truck lot to keep them because they are usually filled with large (24,000 lbs and over) commercial vehicles and the rent for such lots isn't cheap. Work trucks of those size are not a safety issue as you claim unless the driver is a careless driver, which is a matter beyond property issues and code enforcement. The problem is that many folks don't seem to understand the difference between irresponsible neglect / obstruction and just simply trying to make a home of your own property. Wanda, your mulch pile story is a prime example of this. There's no code or any reason whatsoever that a mulch pile needs to be binned other than your personal notion that it should.
When one of our neighbors at the end of my street can't mow because they're either out of town or have issues with their equipment, we help out and mow the yard for them. Its the neighborly thing to do. We don't have the county come stick a tax bill on their door. We focus on treating each other with respect and lending a hand when its needed.
Connie Moser
9:00 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Mr. Bonich, I apologize. I can see that your mind is made up and you are certainly entitled to believe anything you want. My error was in attempting to make you see the point of view shared by a very large number of residents in PWC.
Obviously any training or education I may have in the field of community is useless and almost as obvious as your unwillingness to consider any view point other than your own.
Thank you for reading my blog and have a good evening,
Connie
John Bonich
8:49 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Most people are underwater on their property value at this point because they bought during the housing bubble. Its unrealistic to think that property values will raise to that level again in the short term for any reason. To say values will go back up to overinflated rates because your neighbor's work truck isn't on the street or there's a mulch pile in someone's yard is either unrealistic or simply an excuse.
John Bonich
9:14 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
I have darn good neighbors who have to work with many of the things brought up in this blog, and I've had the lawn mower problems myself in the past that I stated in my earlier comment. I take extreme exception to the idea that people in this county want to use the law to penalize good people simply because their lifestyle and employment situation is different. So yes, my mind is made up. As I stated, there is a difference between these matters and willful neglect. The latter is a nuisance and usually exhibits problems far worse than those stated in this blog. If the people of PWC really want to build better relationships with their neighbors and other county residents, trying to use the government to bully people into conforming to one's own personal notion of an upstanding lifestyle isn't the answer.