A very sad disgruntled neighborhood scuffle between the haves and the have-nots has put a dark cloud over the once beautiful Long Lake Woods Subdivision. Nestled in northern Lake Orion, where living is like a vacation…well, it’s quite the opposite case. One homeowner owns a shed, another has a boat, others park trailers and extra vehicles in front of others homes. Selective enforcement of subdivision covenants are the name of the game. No one wants to play the game or enforce said rules. We have lived through said game if you will put it that way. Who dictates who wins or loses the world series of life in this suburban town? We have been in the hot seat and it cost us thousands of dollars out of our working middle class pockets and a two year court/ zoning board battle all because the desperate unhappy housewives on my street had nothing better to do than to try to squash our dream of owning a business helping families who work for their own dream.
Fast forward 14 years, I am a smart business owner who has cared for hundreds of children while parents work for a living. Giving back to the neighborhood, I donated my own free time planting in our cul-de-sac to beautify our neighborhood. I help neighbors by caring for pets and watching homes while they are away. That is what good neighbors do.
I watched in horror as one of my friends received a warning and was then threatened to be sued over an object that holds supplies and lawn equipment in their yard. Singled out and served with paperwork, they decide to retain an attorney and protect their home, their family and investment.
Why is this family singled out and why is this battle still happening? My answers are only riddled with fear and the incompetence of the deleted individuals who volunteered to be our so called board. This is merely a power struggle among peers gone wrong. Why single out one family with a warning or threat when other households who violate covenants are given the blind eye? This should have never escalated to the point where our HOA has to fight one homeowner. You have made your bed, and sad as it may seem, now lay in your own filth.
Now funds are frozen, leaving us all wondering with the impending winter, what are we to do about taking care of our roads and people who need to go to work to make a living, feed their families, and pay their bills?
Your lawyer is incompetent and using poor penmanship and anger as a ploy for this case. He is now taking a personal attack on one individual, one family, and one house that is a home to children and grandchildren. Why bring up a man’s past as a means to degrade him to the public eye. Does it make our HOA here at Long Lake Woods a better place to defile someone because he wants a shed? I will not sign anything or change the way I feel due to the poor way, the poor excuse for a board and legal representation fit for the funny farm.
Ada Stone
Lake Orion resident