Quittintime: County guy just came by

He liked the progress I have made. No problem. Gave me another extension, until the end of August. Have to have it done this time, though, because I told him it would be. Barring catastrophe, I am confident I can get it done.

He asked directions to the next place he has to check out, he had a look at the structure as is, then we talked.

He wants three things done.

1. The driveway has to be fixed, and has to be a normal driveway. He won't stick me to exact codes, but he wants to be happy with it. What this amounts to is that I have to use the used bricks I have, to fill all the great big chasms in the driveway, and then I have to bring in many loads of gravel to finish it. I'm not sure how much gravel it will take, but judging from past experience it will take at least 7, of the 20 dollar loads, and at least 12, of the ten dollar loads. (The gravel pits have changed owners recently. I hope the prices have stayed the same.) I also have to do some concrete work. A collection box in the heart of the drive, and a bulwark at the edge of the drive where the end of the culvert is.

I don't need big equipment, I just need gravel and concrete mix. And rebar. And a grate that can be driven across by the pickup. At least 3 foot by 2 foot.

2. The property, (or at least all of the property that can be seen from the road.), is to be cleaned up. I'll have to haul away stuff that I don't want, and I'll have to lug the rest of the stuff up to behind the structures or something, so it can't be seen.

3. The structure is to be cut in half and done with the way we originaly agreed. We carefully went through that again. When he first came out here, and we agreed on what would be done, the regs said the structures could be as close as you wanted, they just couldn't touch. They have changed the regs now, and they have to be 6 feet apart. But... because he agreed with me on a plan for this originaly, he wants me to go ahead and do it the way I want. It will be ok to bridge the 2 foot gap with plywood, as long as the plywood doesn't structuraly connect the two.

The loft has to come out. The roof is to be cut with at least a two inch gap. After inspection, it can be bridged with some roll vinyl that I have that was made to line valleys with. (He just has to see the gap first.) More good news, the roof structure over the camper can be kept. Cut in half, the same as the cabin structure, and the walls removed, with only enough structure left to support the roof. But it can be left as a porch. A place to stack plywood and stuff, and keep it dry, or a place to just sit out of the rain, whatever. The point is, I sunk some real cash into that roof structure, and it is good to know that I can keep it.

And... he wants it done in that order. It was good that I made progress. I get the feeling that he would have given me one more extension, even without progress. (He does know my situation, mentaly, etc.) But it was good that I had made progress anyway.

The real point to the rest that he said was that he wants to be able to give me an all-clear on this when finished, and then ignore the place from there on. And he was not malicious or demeaning when he said it. He genuinely wants to not be a cause of mental and emotional trouble for me any more.

He said that complaints have been more generaly because of the condition of the property, and of the driveway, than anything else. He wants the driveway done first, because that is the closest thing presented to people who drive by. The property cleanup comes next for the same reason. The structure is now far enough in progress that, when looked at from the road, it is painfully obvious that it is being taken apart.

The real bottom line to all this is that I can stop worrying. These guys don't have to accept anything they don't like. And he never had to give me the first extension, let alone the two after that. I was really worried that I had not done enough, and that he would have to take whatever next step they normaly take.

The stress level has already dropped several notches.

Thanks guys for all the help you have given me, and thank you for letting me ramble and rant when I need to.

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The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. ~Samuel Johnson