Paper Road in Western Pa.
I am posting on behalf of my mother who is retired and on fixed income. She is in her 70's.
In 1978 my mother bought a piece of land (entirely wooded, an almost end lot) from her father. She and my stepfather cleared and built a house on it. There is on paper, a road that is supposed to run the entire length of the upper portion of the lot. She petititioned the borough to build the road and they replied, "we have no money, if you wish a road, then build it yourself."
So, I helped my stepfather clear the trees, and flattened the land with a bobcat. The road failed miserably in the early spring when the snows melted and the spring rains came. The cars sank a good 6 inches. So we put much gravel on the end (about 12' by 20') closest to the paved road, parked the cars there and walked 40' to the house. The rest of the road we grassed and used it for a front yard.
Over the years the borough never built the road nor was it traversed by the public. The borough never helped to snowplow the very end - the last 15' had to be dug out by back and shovel. She has to walk to the mailbox at the end of the road. My mother never had a decent road to her house, and yet she has paid property taxes for 27 years.
My mother is now widowed. In 1992 I planted blue spruce along the length of the far side of the road to act as a windbreak to ease her utility bills. They also serve to suck up the rain drainage from the above lots. There is a dogwood and crabapple tree bordering the other side. The grass gets cut and she walks her dog in the "road" early in the morning.
The mayor came to see her today. He said, "I apologize for never putting a road to your house and the inconvenience we must have caused you to shovel out your own road in the wintertime. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is we are going to tear up most of your front yard, which does not belong to you, any way. The good news is we are going to put in a gravel road, and I assure you we will plow it in the wintertime. You have two weeks to remove any and all vehicles at the end of the road and we will commence work."
My mother no longer wants a road there. She loves the grass and trees. Does she have any recourse? Can she stop this road construction?
Thanks
I am posting on behalf of my mother who is retired and on fixed income. She is in her 70's.
In 1978 my mother bought a piece of land (entirely wooded, an almost end lot) from her father. She and my stepfather cleared and built a house on it. There is on paper, a road that is supposed to run the entire length of the upper portion of the lot. She petititioned the borough to build the road and they replied, "we have no money, if you wish a road, then build it yourself."
So, I helped my stepfather clear the trees, and flattened the land with a bobcat. The road failed miserably in the early spring when the snows melted and the spring rains came. The cars sank a good 6 inches. So we put much gravel on the end (about 12' by 20') closest to the paved road, parked the cars there and walked 40' to the house. The rest of the road we grassed and used it for a front yard.
Over the years the borough never built the road nor was it traversed by the public. The borough never helped to snowplow the very end - the last 15' had to be dug out by back and shovel. She has to walk to the mailbox at the end of the road. My mother never had a decent road to her house, and yet she has paid property taxes for 27 years.
My mother is now widowed. In 1992 I planted blue spruce along the length of the far side of the road to act as a windbreak to ease her utility bills. They also serve to suck up the rain drainage from the above lots. There is a dogwood and crabapple tree bordering the other side. The grass gets cut and she walks her dog in the "road" early in the morning.
The mayor came to see her today. He said, "I apologize for never putting a road to your house and the inconvenience we must have caused you to shovel out your own road in the wintertime. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is we are going to tear up most of your front yard, which does not belong to you, any way. The good news is we are going to put in a gravel road, and I assure you we will plow it in the wintertime. You have two weeks to remove any and all vehicles at the end of the road and we will commence work."
My mother no longer wants a road there. She loves the grass and trees. Does she have any recourse? Can she stop this road construction?
Thanks