No Pool For Rule Breaker
From the Record/Herald:
Feud keeps Ridgefield family from using pool
Theodoros "Ted" Papas has the nicest pool on the block.
His 5-year-old daughter calls it "the beach." Some in the neighborhood call it the "Taj Mahal" of pools.
But no one is wiling away the hot summer days in the $80,000 oasis, built on the edge of a 30-foot cliff in Ridgefield.
Papas and his family have been banned from the back yard because of an escalating spat with borough officials and his neighbor, Joseph N. Deguilmo.
...
Officials revoked permits for the pool and deck, saying a former building official mistakenly overlooked deviations from the original building plans. They have fined Papas $6,000 for three building violations, plus another $1,500 every day the pool remains out of compliance – and they have banned him from his own back yard until the violations are resolved.
...
The pool fight came to a head on Father's Day, when Papas illegally held a party with about 10 friends and their children. Deguilmo called police, who visited the home three times to order the guests out of the pool. On the third trip, police posted a red sign on a gate entrance to the back yard, signaling it was off-limits.
...
Ridgefield officials say Theodoros "Ted" Papas violated the following three ordinances:
Building a fence higher than 6 feet. The retaining wall around the pool is double that in some places, the borough says.
Paving more than 40 percent of a back yard with impervious materials. The area around the pool is covered with brick pavers.
Building without a permit. Papas moved part of the retaining wall to satisfy the borough but failed to get a permit first.
18 Comments:
While I sympathize with this pool owner, his pool is essentially a "liquid McMansion," and he's not immune for the rules everyone else must follow.
Best to buy a copy of the local building code. The town hall should have a copy.
"The pool fight came to a head on Father's Day, when Papas illegally held a party with about 10 friends and their children. Deguilmo called police, who visited the home three times to order the guests out of the pool."
What a loser. Calling the cops because kids are using a pool with too high a fence.
talk about a grumpy old man
"The pool fight came to a head on Father's Day, when Papas illegally held a party with about 10 friends and their children. Deguilmo called police, who visited the home three times to order the guests out of the pool."
Cab ayyone help me understand "How the said party is being called illegal?"
"At issue is the length Papas went to claim a staple of affluent suburban life in this tightly packed neighborhood of single-family homes along Edgewater Avenue.
His back yard was previously a steep slope leading to a row of homes 30 feet below.
Papas, 35 and the owner of a construction company, trucked in tons of dirt and rocks to level the slope, making his back yard an elevated plateau up to a dozen feet above his neighbors' land on each side.
The 4-foot deep, 25,000-gallon pool covers more than half of the back yard and is about the size of seven small parking spaces. Water cascades down a plastic fountain waterfall on one side of the pool, just next to an outdoor shower.
The remaining backyard area is covered with brick pavers and a deck the length of the house."
I'd be pretty PO'd too if my neighbor built a 12 foot retaining wall on my property line.
Its Ridgefield...what do you expect....??
How soon before Ridgefield housing prices dive. There are for sale signs all over that place.
These seem to be reasonable rules that the town has. I sure wouldn't want an anything gos attitude in my town.
Are there any pictures out there of it?
Having the party wasn't illegal.
The problem was he had it in his backyard, after he was banned from using it. Seems he has been pretty cavalier about breaking the law.
Heck, even the article talks about him doing it.
Despite the ban, on Wednesday, Papas took a visitor into his back yard and opened a pool shed. Children's inflatable pool toys spilled out.
Seems high fences don't make good neighbors..
grim
Ignore building codes at your own peril. They will get you eventually.
correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the bldg official who later resigned approve it? and wasn't it the building official who made the mistake here?
the article went on to say that when the official resigned, papas urged the new official to check it out who then revoked the permit.
his violation on building without a permit was to comply with the "new" rules. from his standpoint it was new because he wasn't told about it in the beginning.
sounds like papas is going to pay a hefty price for one guy's oversight.
the guy requests for a permit. he is given a permit. he goes ahead and builds a pool. his daughters and other kids come over to enjoy it.
what an a__.
I am wondering what the neighbors motive is.. It sounds to me that he is a little upset about the parties...Personally . I wouldn't want this guy for my neighbor either but If the previous inspector OK'd everything is it really fair to come back and say.. We changed our mind after the work is done
This one is a hard one to pick sides on.
That huge wall must be annoying and this guy's attitude smells of smugness.
I think I need more pics other than that one, perhaps the newspaper should show the view from the nieghbors house instead of the pool owner.
"I think I need more pics other than that one, perhaps the newspaper should show the view from the nieghbors house instead of the pool owner."
I'd like to see a photo taken from the neighbors below, who see a 12 foot retaining wall, with a 6 foot fence on top.
That's an 18 foot barrier -- must feel like living in a prison cell.
Will someone please explain what this means:
"Despite the ban, on Wednesday, Papas took a visitor into his back yard and opened a pool shed. Children's inflatable pool toys spilled out.
"These are floaties," he said. They are 'not hooker toys.' "
What the bleep?
rich,
See, reading comprehension is important
LOL! my bad. thanks for pointing that out.
Papas: Maas
Deguilmo: No Maas
Grim GHost,
Absolutely, if he was a regular guy I would have some sympathy. He totally did this to himself. I hope they make him take it apart.
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