A condo association in Snowmass Village, just outside of Aspen, Colorado, is filing a lawsuit against the town. Owners in the Sonnenblick Condominiums complain that the town council illegally approved the placement of two cell phone antennas on top of the Westin Hotel.
Sprint says it needs the antennas to improve cell phone reception in the Aspen area. These things are not exactly cell phone towers. One of the two antennas will extend beyond the roof line by about three feet. But the condo association says those three extra feet will ruin their view of the mountains.
These kinds of lawsuits sometimes backfire against the plaintiffs who get hit with huge special assessments to pay off all the lawyers.
But these homeowners can afford a frivolous lawsuit here and there. Just to live in a ski town like Snowmass you’ve got to have a mass of money. And all the lawyers involved in this case will take a good-sized chunk of that cash.
I wrote about this subject in my book, Neighbors At War, but now that the court cases are before the Minnesota Court of Appeals, it’s worth discussing again.
At issue is an ordinance in the college town of Winona, Minnesota, which prohibits some property owners from renting out their properties. Landlords have to register their properties with the city. But once a ratio of renters to homeowners is approached, property owners are prohibited from leasing their properties to others. That means that in some neighborhoods, owners are prohibited from leasing their properties, while people on the adjacent block are allowed to lease. It’s apparently the first case in the nation where property owners are prohibited from exercising their historic rights.
If this law is ruled constitutional, the implications are enormous.
It wasn’t cash in a bank bag. Nope, these crooks just sawed the hoofs off a bronze deer, stole the deer and a dozen maple leaf light covers from the Rockwood Falls community entrance. It’s the second time they’ve done that!
Who would think it’s a good idea to place tens of thousands of dollars worth of art out in the open alongside the road? If it was to provide a visual indication of the prosperous residents that reside within, it did not serve them well. However, it did make them a target for thieves.
It’s undecided if the board will be replacing the sculptures. Really? Call in some common sense here folks! The news is broadcasting daily about the theft of copper from air conditioning units at schools, churches, light poles, and more. And bronze statues have been stolen before around Kansas City. Shall we hope the HOA members will stop the madness of their money going to the scrap-metal yards?
And since this happened in the city where I live, my tax dollars are now being spent to find and arrest the culprits. So that makes us all losers in the expense of the missing bronze deer.
It’s come to my attention that some people haven’t been able to add comments to my posts. It’s incredibly easy. Right beside my photo at the upper right corner of each post there’s a bag.
Think of this as YOUR punching bag. Imagine that you were aiming at my head and missed and hit the bag! Then let us all know whatever’s on your mind.
Standard laws of Internet etiquette apply! No cussing, swearing, flaming, threats, all the standard stuff. Oh, and don’t use all caps. that means you’re unnecessarily shouting and you’ll probably get deleted. And if I see something that looks libelous or slanderous your comment won’t appear.
Finally, I do make a rare change on a post regardless of which side you’re on. I only do it to correct occasional grammar and spelling problems just to make you sound more articulate.
