On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 16:16:22 +1100, Terry Collins
wrote:

wrote:

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:36:11 +1100, Terry Collins
wrote:


Not only interesting, but useful.
I've been thinking about getting rid of the 'azure albatross' for
years, but I also was quoted a cost of $10 K or so.

If you don't want it for a swimming pool, how about raising fish (for
viewing, relaxation or eating?

Two words: Yard Nazis

Did you get it in writing? I've had a number of these types of "demands"
suddenly disappear when they were asked for them in writing.

This one _appeared_ in writing. In the form of a summons, to be exact.
The money I paid out included the $50 'nominal' fine after I brought
the pool into compliance. Around here the best you can hope for from
the Yard Nazis is a letter giving you 14 days to fix whatever they
deem is wrong. Most of the time you just get the summons.

The thing that was _really_ stupid about this incident was that the
problem was unfixable within the time frame they gave me.

I had finally determined -- in April -- that the pool needed to be
pumped out and refilled. However you cannot do that when the
temperature is over about 75 degrees F without risking damage to the
pool. Since it was already into the 80s by April, the pool company
told me to leave it until fall. So I loaded the pool with misquito
fish, kept the pump running on the timer and waited.

In July these morons from the city issued me a summons. Since the
temperature was well over 100 there was no way I could fix the
problem. Their response was 'tell it to the judge; we've already
issued the summons.' Of course none of the pool companies would touch
it because of the liability issues if the pool was damaged.

So I went to the preliminary hearing, pled not guilty, had a trial set
for September and tried to get a postponement until November when the
temperature would be low enough to pump it (which I planned to do all
along.) At the September trial, the city 'generously' offered me a
deal -- plead guilty and they'd put sentencing off for 45 days and
'only' fine me $50 if I fixed the problem before then. The alternative
was an immediate trial where I had no case. I went for it.

Listening to some of the stories other people told made me realize I
was lucky.

I'd been thinking about getting rid of the damn pool for years because
of the maintenance problem. Now I'm getting a lot more serious about
it.

--RC

"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.