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<br />Minutes of Public Hearing 11/15/88 -2r ~-
<br />the large number of those that come before us are not working with a fence
<br />concern. Most usually, the fellow is going to do it himself and he wants
<br />to stick ug some boards in the back and that's it. I don`t know if you
<br />people, particularly on council, have ever taken time to look at six foot
<br />fences. There are few in this city. We were forced to grant one at the
<br />corner of Clifford and Clague Road. It is the ugliest fence probably in this
<br />town. It is up. It's been up for about a year, a year and a half possibly.
<br />It was granted by Sam Spino, without consulting the board or anyone. Apparently
<br />he gave them a permit and we could not shake the statement they made about the
<br />permit. So rather than cause a situation, why we granted it; it was already up ',
<br />anyway. It is a beautiful stockade and it looks like the devil. Now, you can
<br />go one block from there, over into Westlake, in the newest, most expensive
<br />of their allotments, and you will see a six .foot solid fence. It's up about
<br />two months. Take a look at it; see how you like it. Again, we are coming down,
<br />are we going. to have this city a bunch of stockades? And that's just about
<br />what everybody wants that comes before the board. When they talk .about it, they
<br />want to get a board-on-board or however you want to term the fence. Whatever
<br />happens, it goes up in bare wood and stays in bare wood. I have a four foot fence
<br />in the back of my house, which I put there twenty-four years ago when we bought
<br />the house new. I have never had a chance to paint the other side. I wonder At
<br />my neighbor, she has to look at that. Now my side looks nice because I have had
<br />it painted about four times but people don't as a rule. They think that they
<br />have a permanent fence that they never have to tend. If you want to do something
<br />on those fences, one of the first things that should be .done is to delineate how
<br />the fence is going to be built. By that I mean we have people come in that think
<br />they are going to put the supporting posts, the rails, and so on, on the other
<br />side so their neighbor can look at it. That's pretty common. There is one point
<br />that can be .addressed and could be in-proved. The next thing of course is the
<br />corner lots. If you read our present zoning law, it's a good one, it prevents
<br />people from putting solid fences where they will black traf€ic yet we still get
<br />requests for it and we generally turn them down. So that is anobheF point that
<br />is very necessary if you are going to change that law. It would seem to me that
<br />the proper place for this request or this suggestion of a change in the law
<br />should go before the committee that meets tomorrow night., which is your consultant
<br />and the people who are involved in the laws. It should, go there and certainly
<br />will have a full discussion if it does. But, again, I think you are. premature.
<br />I think that you are in a hurry to get_this thing done; for what purpose I don't
<br />know. We have had people, in the past,-I've been 'on the fob eleven years or more;
<br />we've had people come in, one case stands out in my mind. This is about ten years
<br />ago, where a lady had lost her. mind; she was a young lady, lived o~- oae of the
<br />narrow streets - Dexter, up in there - and the suggestioa was made that we permit
<br />a six foot fence to keep. her from the sight of the neighbors anc~ they said that
<br />she shouted at people with all kind. of language and so oar And even had occasion
<br />to go out partly dressed, that type of-thing. So, we did not d© anyt]aing on it;
<br />we said "'it is a police problem; it is a social problew" and we c©uldn't ha~idle
<br />it. But people get those ideas, that if I've got a piece of property, I'll puz
<br />a fence around it and the devil with my neighbors. I would suggest to all of you
<br />to read Cleveland Magazine, the current issue. There is a story on a tough
<br />building commissioner in Lakewood and they go'back to the problems in Lakewood
<br />and they somewhat excuse him because Lakewood is the oldest city = not the oldest
<br />but one of the oldest on the westside. It is composed of swell lots that are
<br />overgrown. Lakewood now has a five foot limit on fences just like we have and
<br />they also have a rule like we have vn open fences, that is, 90X open. I know
<br />because I own one but these are the things that should.be addressed in refining
<br />the present law, instead of reducing it from six to five feet.. I`remember when.
<br />I came on the board it was four feet. Fortunately, it, was changed to five. Five
<br />seems to be a good median. Long about the excuses for putting a fence up, usually
<br />is "I've got a big dog". Our answer usually is, "a dog that will climb a five
<br />foot fence will climb a six foot one". That's generally true. The other is,
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