ELY - A sparse agenda for the city council here this week found council members in the middle of a dispute between neighbors over lawn mowing. One neighbor wants to mow the lawn on portions of city property surrounding his property on Sibley Drive. The other neighbor doesn’t want him to.
Apparently, Andy Hill, of 2111 Sibley Drive, has been doing the extra lawn mowing outside his property limits for the past two summers, but the Ely City Police were recently notified of the random act of beautification and Hill was told by the local lawn mowing police that he would have to get permission from city leaders to continue the kindness activity.
Hill’s property abuts Pioneer Drive on the north and he wants to keep the strip of city right-of-way, including the area around a fire hydrant, mowed shorter than city crews have time to keep trimmed. He wants to do the same thing on the south side of his property along Sibley Drive adjacent to city-owned undeveloped land. Finally, he wants to mow along the west side of his property, along the Trezona Trail, including the portage trail to the nearby Miners Lake. He wants to “keep the trail clear of debris, windfall and dog (droppings), and keep the access to the water line free of logs that jam up against it.”
Hill noted, “It is so great to see kids fishing down there and others (able to put) in their canoes and kayaks.”
A nearby neighbor (unnamed) complained about the extra mowing and contended that Hill was mowing the city property in front of his own land on his property as well. Apparently, last year, this same neighbor unsuccessfully attempted to get Hill to shut down a not-so-noisy power generator used on cloudy days when solar power panels weren’t as effective.
Council member Ryan Callen asked about the city’s liability if someone gets hurt while mowing the lawn on city property. The city’s legal counsel said the city’s insurance carrier and the home-owner’s property insurance would likely cover any problems.
“It is not uncommon to have people mow areas of city property,” Kelly Klun said. “However, the issue here is the neighbor dispute, and the motion before you does not include any mowing on someone else’s property.”
Klun noted that the city never formally stated at the council level that a person cannot mow or maintain public areas.
“It is a matter of if and how the council wants to set policy on this,” she said.
Council member Al Forsman said the matter came before the council because Hill’s neighbor objected to his lawn mowing in front of his property.
“The intent of my motion on this is to not allow mowing in front of the neighbor’s property, and that is what I’m supporting,” he said. “I don’t want to be in a situation where we are not supporting people who are trying to beautify our community. I think it is important that we do support those who want to beautify our community, and what Mr. Hill is doing here is beneficial to our community.”
Council member Angela Campbell had another view. “I do not support Mr. Hill or his recommendation,” she said. “I think the city does a good job, and I don’t think a private interest should take precedence. Thank you.”
Interim Mayor Chuck Novak said, “I don’t want my neighbor mowing my boulevard in front of my house and that is the issue before us.” He also wants Hill’s mowing across his property on Sibley Drive to cease if and when the vacant city lots are sold and eventually developed.
Council member Heidi Omerza was at a loss as to why the council was addressing such a minor issue. “This is nothing more than a personality issue and this coming before the council is rather unfortunate,” she said. “I don’t mind solving this problem. I’m not blaming anyone. So many parties involved in solving an issue like this is unfortunate.”
The council voted 6-1, with Campbell voting against, to allow Hill to mow city lawn around his property.
“Be nice to your neighbor,” Novak told Hill. “We don’t want to always have to settle your disputes down there.”