They're trying to bury us, I swear!

We live across the street from a marina.  There're only two hours left on this street because the marina bought 'em all to build the marina years ago.  At the end of our yard there's a small road, almost like an alley, and then their parking lot begins.

We figured it was them plowing their snow into our yard and blocking our drive way with huge mounds of snow but didn't want to get angry at them until we caught them doing it.  There was still a small chance it was a plow they hired to clear their parking lot and never gave clear instructions on where to dump the snow.

Well this morning I happened to be up early after sleeping all day and night.  Early enough to hear a ruckus and notice a small bulldozer we've often seen used by the marina during the summer.

He was clearing the snow, and the very first scoop fell onto our yard.  Rather than storm outside with my bed head and angrily yell at this guy for blocking our car into our drive way I grabbed a marker and a poster board, wrote a note, and hung it in the window, asking them to please stop burying us.

A while later I glanced around the sign and noticed the snow mounds on either side of their buildings got awfully big and there were no more tracks leading towards our house.

Are they really allowed to plow their snow into our yard and block us in?  Are we expected to continue moving the snow into our back yard whenever they push it into our drive way?  Or are we right in asking them to not continue to do so?

Where I live, that's illegal.  It's not their property and their snow removal is not your problem.  I would call the cops or the city and tell them what is going on.  Call the Marina and tell them what is going on AND that you are reporting them to local authorities either way, but that if they come clear the snow that they dumped there, that you won't go out of your way to have them charged.

That makes me mad just thinking about it.  I say be a dick back.

Illegal here as well.  I would confront them and make them clean up what they dumped.

write a polite letter.  CC it to your municipal government.

i have to assume that is illegal.  can't see how it would possibly be legal, considering that it can be illegal to shovel onto the roads (depending on where you live).

i agree with PG.  write a letter.  word it politely, but firmly.  and if it doesn't stop, make sure you follow up with stronger action.

We're expected to get more snow shortly. I live fairly close to where you are. To get this to stop quickly, call the marina directly. Ask for the manager and politely tell him about the problem. Let him know you need this to stop immediately. You don't want to call the city and complain, but if you have to you will.

Follow up with a letter stating the same. Since you live close you can hand deliver it.

you definitely have every right to say something!

might i suggest using the snow to build an enormous snowman directly in front of the door to the marina in the middle of the night? bonus points if the snowman is obscene in some way.

Original Post by moonikins:

We're expected to get more snow shortly. I live fairly close to where you are. To get this to stop quickly, call the marina directly. Ask for the manager and politely tell him about the problem. Let him know you need this to stop immediately. You don't want to call the city and complain, but if you have to you will.

Follow up with a letter stating the same. Since you live close you can hand deliver it.

 

 I agree with Moonikins. Quite often the person who is doing the "illegal" act is ignorant that his actions are in anyway harmful, sad but true. Maybe the person running the machine is a kid or new employee..... and management is clueless (but not mean or intentionally doing this to you). So, be nice, be firm, and if it doesn't work out, then go to the police/municipality. You are going to be neighbors for a long time...better to get along if you can.

Original Post by jules817:

you definitely have every right to say something!

might i suggest using the snow to build an enormous snowman directly in front of the door to the marina in the middle of the night? bonus points if the snowman is obscene in some way.

 

 I agree with the first part and wholeheartedly with the second.

Build that snowman and make it dirty. ;)

The funny thing is we have been meaning to build an army of snowmen on our yard and face them at the marina, just to creep them out or get a good chuckle.  We've been putting it off because the snow is still very dry and powdery, and I'm still way too sore after that car accident over the weekend to do much of anything.

Original Post by carolann5111:

Original Post by moonikins:

We're expected to get more snow shortly. I live fairly close to where you are. To get this to stop quickly, call the marina directly. Ask for the manager and politely tell him about the problem. Let him know you need this to stop immediately. You don't want to call the city and complain, but if you have to you will.

Follow up with a letter stating the same. Since you live close you can hand deliver it.

 

 I agree with Moonikins. Quite often the person who is doing the "illegal" act is ignorant that his actions are in anyway harmful, sad but true. Maybe the person running the machine is a kid or new employee..... and management is clueless (but not mean or intentionally doing this to you). So, be nice, be firm, and if it doesn't work out, then go to the police/municipality. You are going to be neighbors for a long time...better to get along if you can.

 In your case, I agree with these statements and would add that you should keep a copy of the letter you give them as evidence. Make sure it's dated.

If it weren't a company you were dealing with, I would probably just call the police and not bother warning the person, though. This might sound mean-hearted, but once we verbally warned somebody to stop their behavior, *someone else* in our apartment complex called the cops, and *we* received threatening treatment from the people we warned (bad word carved on our door). Something to keep in mind.