Accomadating a neighbor

[Welder Dave]

So my MX/oval tracks will be opening in the next couple of weeks. Wanting to be proactive a friend who lives out there contacted my neighbor to let him know. Mostly because the neighbors dogs chasing vehicles is a big deal. (one was hit years ago) It's for the protection of the dogs but if nothing is done we will have no alternative than to call animal control. Don't want to have to do that but...

A couple things came up. Last year I briefly talked to the neighbor and he suggested putting a sign on the road leading to the track with an open/closed indicator showing if the track is open or not. This was suggested again but discussing with my partner it has some serious flaws. I don't live at the track for 1 thing. When I went out on the weekend I could flip the indicator to say the track was open and flip it closed when I left but if it says closed I don't how people would interpret it?? The track is pretty much open every weekend weather permitting. The neighbor thinks people drive out to the track and if it's closed are mad and speed off past his place. If the sign says closed before I get there or after I leave, does it mean it won't be open later or the next day? My partner thinks a sign saying to check the website and having the web page on it is a much better idea. Apparently the neighbor does check my website. I don't understand how the neighbor doesn't realize the track is open every weekend unless it's raining or too wet. Nice weather, it will be open. Don't need a sign to figure that out. Also in the past I've had signs taken down and what if someone changes the sign to say closed when it isn't??

The other issue is dust on the road. If I know a bunch of people are coming out, I can put some water on the road but I rarely know how many people are coming unless there's an event. I'm not going to water the road every Sat. and Sun. If I did water it, it would be in the morning. I'm also not watering it multiple times during the day. I'm also not paying the county to oil the section of road in front of his property. It is an option for residents to have the road (I think it's 100 meters) graded and oiled to control dust but it costs a few hundred dollars.

I'm not making a lot of money at the track that I can be oiling roads or constantly watering them to suit my neighbor. It also looks like there's going to be big shortage of water this year due to not much snow and dry conditions last fall. The water I have is limited and I'd rather use it to control dust on the tracks. It's a safety issue. The dust from the tracks doesn't affect the neighbor because there is about a 1/4 mile of tree's and bush between us but I can't have it very dusty with multiple people on the track.

I've had the track for 14 or 15 years before the neighbor moved in. It's not my fault if he didn't do his due diligence when he bought his 10 acres but how accommodating should I be? Just let him know the track is open unless it's too wet and I'll try to water the road in the morning if it's really dusty? Don't want to tick him off but also don't want him complaining to the county and trying to shut me down. He already takes pics. and calls the police on people he suspects are speeding. Looking for good advice how to deal with him or accomodate him?

 

[BluewaterLa]

That is a tough one to navigate.
I am not the best person to be giving advise on this topic. Don't play well with stupid.
From the information you provided this cheeky turd purchased a plot of land next to a dirt track, that is his fault and his burden to deal with not yours.
By stating the track will be open on weekends if not raining is plenty enough even for the most intelligent folks in this crazy world.
also sounds to me like this dung beetle has nothing better to do with spare time other than try to impose a hard time on others.

 

[Welder Dave]

You pretty much nailed it! People with a season's pass can go out any time, 7 days a week. A few years ago he was telling the 80+ year old neighbor, who has since sold his property, that because it's a dead end road it's the drivers fault if they hit a dog.

 

[sfrs4]

same as Bluewaterla, I have a low tolerance to stupid, so the way I see it, his dog's on your land is the problem, to solve the problem, he either erects a fence or tethers his dogs!
As for the dust, that is your problem unfortunately, one way to do it is to slow people down less speed less dust, speed bumps on the lane, as you clearly stated it is neither environmentally viable or time viable to be there every day watering or wetting with something.

 

[davejo]

Have the season pass people take responsibility for managing the sign, or your local friend. Make a big deal out of the riders knowing that speeding on the access road is not tolerated.

Avoid escalation of this pissing match, chances are that you will ultimately lose.

 

[Acoals]

It's a public road; traffic, dust and speed are concerns he should contact the local authorities about . . .

 

[cfherrman]

Don't water the county road, you shouldn't risk getting fined, jailed, or sued because your neighbor is a asshole.

Don't negotiate with terrorists.

 

[Welder Dave]

I don't have a problem watering the road sometimes but not doing everytime the track is open. The legal speed limit on the road is 80kmh/50mph. It's considered a secondary highway. There's still dust at 60kmh. I have asked about lowering the speed limit but never got any response from the county. We put up a 50kmh sign but the county took it down. At least we think the county took it down. You can't just put up your own speed limit sign.

Nobody going out to ride is going to want to change a sign. I'd expect they'd forget to change it to closed 90% of the time. What stops the neighbor or anyone else from changing it to closed?

 

[Vetech63]

Tell the neighbor to stfu and mind his own business. Dam……I’m a prick and just realized it!

 

[Georgia Iron]

I just saw this article and I was pissed reading it.

https://www.courthousenews.com/beloved-monterey-race-track-sees-noise-lawsuit-from-frustrated-neighbors/

 

[Truck Shop]

This same scenario played out some years back when people buying property in the
Badger Pocket area of Kittitas Valley. Complaining of the noise at certain times of the
year.---They bought next the Firing Center-U.S. Army. Frigging idiots couldn't grasp
what Firing Center meant, tanks running all over the center.

 

[Tyler d4c]

Could a electronic sign be gotten that you could change from your house or that does automatically on Saturdays at say 6 am and back to closed at 6pm

 

[cfherrman]

The sign is a terrible idea, run away from it. People can call and ask you if it's open

 

[kshansen]

Am I missing something here? Is the road the neighbor is complaining about the dust from a public highway/road? If so why should the owner of the track be responsible for dust from traffic?

If the track is an allowed use of the property I can't see any standing for this neighbors complaints. Then again it's the well know problem of the squeaky wheel getting what they want too often.

I mean can I demand that the farmers near me not spread fertilizer(AKN manure) on the fields near me because I don't like the smell? I've lived here for around 50 years, but then this has been a farming area for probably four times that long or much longer! Just for kicks I did check when this town was founded and the town was originally part of another town that was founded in 1799! I'm guessing if someone decided to name this area as a town there were probably people living here at that time and I bet they were spreading manure on the fields back then!

 

[Welder Dave]

There have been other historic race tracks shut down. Limiting Laguna Seca to 5000 spectators is beyond ridiculous. 35 days a year is less than 10% of the year. They should look at how much money the track brings to the local economy and the taxes the track pays.

In my case I'm at the end of a dead end road with crown land behind and partially beside me. There's maybe 6 residences/farmers within a couple miles. The problem neighbor moved in around 2018 or so. It was sometime after I put my pole shed up in 2015. I bought my property in late 2004 and started building the track in 2005. There has almost no negative reaction to the track. In fact it has been very positive. This was confirmed after another new neighbor wanted to put in a shooting range. One of the things mentioned in his arguments was that there was an MX track nearby that made noise. A petition was started to stop the shooting range. I agreed with the petition but didn't want to say too much because I didn't want to bring any attention to my MX track. The shooting range was in a terrible location and was ultimately not allowed. Talking with the people who started the petition, they said nobody had any issues with my track. They might hear bikes on some weekends but it's not constant and everyday of the week. It also keeps people from illegal riding in the natural area and on farmers property.

I have a track that's open most weekends in the summer if the weather permits. How many businesses have to inform their neighbors when they're open or plan to have people come over? I don't think anyone can say I'm in a bad location for a track. The previous owner of the farm across the road from me had no problems at all with the track going in. He said people need a place to do their thing. As long as nobody bothers him if he's driving his swather on the road and he can sleep at night he has no objections to the track going in. The gravel pit bought that property. One of the reasons is so nobody can move in and complain about noise from their operation.

The big issue is the neighbors dogs on the road. He wants to know when the track will be open so he can know when to contain his dogs. I think his thinking is flawed. He should contain his dogs to his property regardless if the track is open or not. He should plan on the track being open on weekends not need to be told it's going to be open. This would be the most basic common sense for 95% of the population. I just don't want him doing everything he can to try and get me shut down. I don't want to be in a constant battle with him over his dogs, dust, noise, cars he deems are speeding or anything else he can think of. I don't want to tell him where to go but also don't want him trying to control by business and dictate what I need to do to satisfy him. I should talk to the gravel pit. They deal with him concerning his cows. I think they let his cows graze on their property. Not sure if he pays them or not. They might have some good idea's on how to deal with him. I'm kind of racking my brain on what to do?

 

[Welder Dave]

Could a electronic sign be gotten that you could change from your house or that does automatically on Saturdays at say 6 am and back to closed at 6pm

No, I'm an hour away and a sign like that would cost a few bucks. I would like to just have a sign advertising the track is down the road. I need to get a permit from the county but that's not a big deal. Any type of sign could backfire for the neighbor though. It could bring more traffic.

 

[cuttin edge]

You can only do so much. At one time our shop/asphalt plant was outside the city. As the city expands, we are now inside the limits. There is a noise by law, no construction noise before 7am. There is a tree buffer, and I think they try to make nice with the neighbors. Sometimes in order to have asphalt on site for an out of town job, you have to start mixing before 6. Since the pandemic, there have been a lot of big city folk that have moved here to get away from the rat race. One such couple have purchased the closest home to the plant. They complain non stop, about the noise, the dust, the truck traffic. There is no engine brake law, but the company asks trucks not to use them when hauling to and from our location. We even plow the a$$hole out in winter for free

 

[Welder Dave]

Am I missing something here? Is the road the neighbor is complaining about the dust from a public highway/road? If so why should the owner of the track be responsible for dust from traffic?

If the track is an allowed use of the property I can't see any standing for this neighbors complaints. Then again it's the well know problem of the squeaky wheel getting what they want too often.

I mean can I demand that the farmers near me not spread fertilizer(AKN manure) on the fields near me because I don't like the smell? I've lived here for around 50 years, but then this has been a farming area for probably four times that long or much longer! Just for kicks I did check when this town was founded and the town was originally part of another town that was founded in 1799! I'm guessing if someone decided to name this area as a town there were probably people living here at that time and I bet they were spreading manure on the fields back then!

The road is a county road and designated as a secondary highway. That it's a dead end after my property doesn't change that but I think the neighbor somehow thinks it does. I don't mind watering occasionally but it's not a big priority in my opinion. I have passenger vehicles coming out and trailers when the cars come out. I'm not running dump trucks and pups out of my property. On a main road a resident can pay the county to oil the road to control dust from the same traffic that comes to my track. The gravel pit waters the road to their pit but they're running huge trucks on a constant basis. I do wish dust was the only issue but it isn't even the big issue. The dogs on the road chasing cars is! The track is zoned as direct control recreation to operate an off road vehicle park. It is a discretionary use decided strictly by 4 members of the county council. It should be noted that I talked to the county prior to purchasing the land and the person in charge of land use suggested I have the land rezoned so I don't have to deal with permits every year or people (moving in) trying to shut me down. They only consider if it is a good use of the property and if it is a benefit for the county. I had to do a development permit a few years ago and the same rules applied. The county decides alone and there is no input from neighboring land owners and there is also no appeal process. The county says yes or no. At first the person I talked to said the application goes to adjacent properties. I was freaking out I might get shut down because I had a lot invested and had been running for over 12 years. I was a little ticked because I put the closing time earlier than I wanted on Sat. Only later did I learn that the county makes the decision strictly on their own and it's final! This new neighbor is a real wrench in the spokes and I don't want him sabotaging my business or trying to make trouble for me. I certainly don't want to injure his dogs or have my customers injure his dogs. At the same time I don't want to lose customers because they won't come out with the dogs on the road.

 

[92U 3406]

I wouldn't have been half as courteous as you've been.

 

[92U 3406]

As for the dog if it gets hit that's on him. Should train the dog or put up a fence.