County Roads

[BigG]

I do 1/4 mile long driveway and then another 1/4 mile of private road, when we first moved here 10 years ago, every neighbor would come out with walk behind snowblowers and help clear the road, I was the only one with a Large garden tractor with a blower and would clear most of the road, they would all give me money, cookies, bottles of this and that, but most of all just thank me for helping out.
I would take me about 4 hours every time it snowed (and it snows a lot of days up here), so it took alot of my time up.

Well all of those neighbors, but one (and they are excellent) have moved and now we have a complete new group, they don't help, they don't thank me, in fact most complain...a lot.

The funny part is it's a section of road that there are two of us ( Us and steve) that use it that aren't in the home owners association (We have private land).
That association is required by the county to maintain the road ( It was built for the association over what used to be our driveway way before we owned our land) It's in their homeowners association agreement to maintain the road, they collect money to maintain the road (it was written 15 years ago and is severely under budget).

Every year no one maintains the road besides me and Steve, we grade it, we fill potholes, we mow it, we clean it.

It costs me in the range of about $1500 a year to maintain the road, and that doesn't include gravel costs.
I go through fuel and a wear and tear on 20K worth of tractors and equipment, all out of my pocket.

I finally asked for them to help out with the expense and said $100 per household would be great to help out with the expense of clearing the road all winter.
Only 3 out of 10 neighbors paid me this year, yet they all drive on it everyday, and still complain if it's not plowed and kept nice.

Every year I say, "This winter is going to be different, they either pay or I will berm them in with so much snow, their grandkids will still be dealing with it when they hit collage"!
but alas no, I keep clearing it because, I live at the end of the road and we need to get out.

So being neighborly only goes so far before it just plain being taken advantage of!

Now if they are like that I would vote to berm them in during the summer when the gravel berm will last a long time. That is along with the snow in the winter! Being neighborly only goes so far.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I knew if I put the plow on it wouldn't amount to much and it didn't. about an hour of heavy snow and that was it. Maybe 2" on the ground. That plow is a spoiler and fine with me....

When I plow the road all the homes along the road get access too but I've never gotten so much as a thank a'hole....lol

No cookies, no booze (don't drink anyway), not even a wave so piss on all of them. When I cut the road I do't even bother moving the spoil out of their driveways. Let them do it.

Guy across the road, same thing. No thanks so last year I left him snowed in and he got stuck and had to call the local wrecker service to get out. I laughed.

I've come to the conclusion that people are generally ignorant today. Just because I have a 60 grand piece of equipment don't mean I'm obligated to do anything.