Fire Hydrant Installation Angers Village Home Owner
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When Maj. Scott Greenblatt saw the pictures of his front yard, he was stunned.
One corner of the lawn of his home in Pinehurst No. 6 was gone, replaced by a shiny red fire hydrant.
"He thought it was a joke," said his wife, Tammy, who e-mailed photos to her husband in Iraq, where he is on his third tour of duty. "He thought it was someone else's yard."
County work crews installed the fire hydrant Thursday morning while Tammy was running errands. She said she returned home to find work crews in her yard.
"There was a crane in the grass and a big hole," she said describing the scene. "I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was some sort of water emergency."
In Pinehurst, fire hydrants are installed by the county Public Works Department at locations recommended by the village fire chief. It isn't policy for residents to be notified of the installation, said Pinehurst Fire Chief Carlton Cole.
"I get worked up because I take a lot of pride in my home," Scott Greenblatt said in an interview from Iraq. "It's a labor of love, my yard."
Greenblatt said he has contacted several officials from the village of Pinehurst and Moore County and isn't satisfied with their responses.
"The optimal course of action is I would like to have it moved," Greenblatt said.
If that is not possible, he said he wants an apology, and then he wants experts to examine his sprinkler system and replace the sod.
Cole said county officials have inspected the work area and have said they will replace the sod and repair any damage done to the sprinkler system.
In Pinehurst, the public right-of-way covers 60 feet and includes the road, which is typically 20 feet wide, leaving 20 feet of right-of-way on each side.
The Greenblatts' home sits on the corner of Carter and Hampshire lanes. The hydrant is about 15 feet from the edge of one road and 12 feet from the other.
"The hydrant is in the public right-of-way," Village Manager Andy Wilkison said. "It's technically not on his property."
Contact Tom Embrey by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com.
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Comments
camesh 2 years, 10 months ago
Better to have a hydrant than a fire. Get over it!!!
Thistle 2 years, 10 months ago
Major Greenblatt, thank you and your family for your service to this country.
It doesn't sound like the Greenblatts were notified that this was happening. Whether notification is a requirement or not, living in a small town, that sort of courtesy could have and should have been shown. It certainly would have prevented a great deal of angst and wasted effort on everyone's part.
Having a fire hydrant so close to your house will most likely lower your insurance - be sure and check it out.
coffecreme 2 years, 10 months ago
It really doesnt sound like whether they were notified or not they would be happy about it.
Scott 2 years, 10 months ago
Scott Greenblatt here......Indeed, it was a surprise!
Living in Pinehurst should require our residents to follow the etiquette of GOLF.
I do believe that there is work to be done on how we deal with our residents. While the easement is technically government owned property, take a look at our town? You would be hard pressed to find a homeowner that has not taken ownership of the easement. Residents add sprinkler systems and add beautiful landscaping which only beautifies out town. In my mind, the notification process would have created effective dialogue between the land owner and the local government to come to a mutual agreement to identify the pin-point placement of the Hydrant (and not leave it up to the road crew)
I would also agree, how can I argue about having a fire hydrant on my property, it only makes my home and neighbors safer, however, I do not believe that water line is tapped into the core of the earth, it is tapped into horizontal water pipes running up and down our streets. Could it have been placed in a better location on either sides of of my property / easement lines and still achieve the same effect? May bee... Guess I will never find out.
I have been in communication with the Pinehurst City Manager, Mr. Andy Wilkison. I appreciated his effective communication with me and I am confident that he will do what is right by me as a home owner and ensure that my property's landscaping is resorted to it's original state.....Thanx Andy.
As for the "discount", I emailed USAA.... No luck.
To the Pilot, thank you for covering this story
Scott Greenblatt Pinehurst Resident in 6 weeks!!!! Diyala Province, Iraq
coffecreme 2 years, 10 months ago
You know what Scott, you are right.... they could have notified you.
Bflat 2 years, 10 months ago
Welcome home to Pinehurst, Major Greenblatt, and thank you for all you do in service to our country. I've had problems with the folks installing water for the house under construction across the street that came over onto the yard and broke an irrigation sprinkler head and just left it like that without telling anyone. They also tore up the grass and left a mess.
JER 2 years, 10 months ago
It would be interesting to know how the Pilot came to run this story. I'll assume that the reporter was not just driving around and noticed a new hydrant had popped up. My guess is that the property owner contacted the Pilot and used their military background to solicit sympathy from the public who are constantly being told that the government is out to get you. Fact is, the property owner does not own the area where the hydrant was installed and has no legal or moral leg to stand on. Would the story have been as compelling if the property owner was the bag boy at the supermarket? Should the town negotiate with every property owner on the placement of utility and service lines in their neighborhood? Should they only negotiate with owners who are military? Or should they continue to provide the utilities and services in the easement areas that were designed for these services.
fuzzymuffin 2 years, 10 months ago
Are you serious? You are in Iraq and you are worried about a fire hydrant being placed in your yard for the safety of your family and neighbors? Really patriotic. I don't know who to be more mad at; Major Greenblatt or The Pilot for wasting article space on this. You must not be too busy in Iraq if you have time to contact the village to gripe about a fire hydrant. Let me guess...you would prefer it in someone else's yard? I live in Pinehurst and I have a utility box and a fire hydrant in my yard. My husband is deployed for his 11th deployment but he would never take time out of his busy schedule of fighting terrorism to complain about something so ridiculous. I can't get those 3 minutes of my life back after wasting the time reading this article. I don't know whether to laugh or be completely and utterly offended. How about spending time to write Congress about real issues that we are having in America rather than wasting your breath on a fire hydrant that was placed in your yard for the purpose of public safety. Unbelievable!
fuzzymuffin 2 years, 10 months ago
We all take pride in our yards. You are not the only one. Good luck on the apology. I apologize if I have been slightly offensive to my fellow "villagers" with my blunt comments but come on man!
sopinesnative 2 years, 10 months ago
I totally agree with fuzzymuffin. This soldier has more important things to worry about than a fire hydrant! If his wife knew this was going to upset him so much why would she even think about adding this stress to him while he's fighting in a war? She should have tried to handle this herself and let him concentrate on coming home safe to his family. In the scheme of things, isn't that what's most important? I mean talk about priorities!
fwanko 2 years, 10 months ago
Major, if you check and even through a boundary survey, the fire hydrant is probably placed in the public right-of-way. This is an area we have no control over as property owners. The public utilities has the right to place needed and items they deem necessary in the public right-of-way with or without your knowledge or permission. I agree it would have been great to get notice of this but there is still nothing that you could have done.
clbvpm 2 years, 10 months ago
As someone who has no city or county water available, I would be thankful for a fire hydrant.
I agree with fwanko, the village should have notified you of their intentions, but still public utilities have the right to easements.
I'd like to thank you for your service to our country as well as fuzzymuffins husband. Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.
Bflat 2 years, 10 months ago
If there is a utility easement, the entire lot all the way to the street is still owned by Maj Greenblatt, thought the right to enter upon the lot for installation and maintenance of utilities carries with the land forever. Most property owners in No6 provide a valuable service by maintaining their property all the way out to the pavement of the street in that easement part. In this way, Pinehurst doesn't have as much mowing or maintenance, and properties look very nice. When workers come in there, they should at least clean up the mess and not leave an eyesore.
irkim13 2 years, 10 months ago
I wonder what Pinehurst would do or say (if anything) if everyone let the city keep up with the easements. I for one keep my yard as nice as I can and would have appreciated some courtesy and notice.
Are those heroes oversees not allowed to have concerns or voice them about what goes on around their homes as trivial as some think they are? I for one think they can voice concerns about anythig they want as they have certainly earned it.
recondo 2 years, 10 months ago
Hey sir just the observation of an old NCO Here but id be more worried about the men under my command in a war zone than my yard in pinehurst so hang up from the fruitless phone calls to the village elders and you can deal with the issue when you get home and nobodys life is a stake because your distracted from your duty by a fire hydrant or messed up lawn 10,000 miles away. I appreciate your service i really do but you know as well as i do that duty to your men is first and foremost or at least it should be. A note to the military wives whos husbands are deployed and this is from the stand point of someone who have been deployed many times all over the world. IF IT IS NOT CHEERFUL NEWS OR AT LEAST SOMETHING VERY VERY SERIOUS WE DONT NEED TO HEAR ABOUT IT !!! Sorry but there is nothing we can do about it but worry
phstresident 2 years, 10 months ago
For everyone calling out Pinehurst for this...please remember the utility is owned by Moore County and they are the ones who installed the hydrant, not the Village or it's staff. It is in the public right of way which is technically Pinehurst government property...but the County owns the water system and installs the hydrants. Complaints should be directed to Mr. Brobst and company and not the Village staff. And of course Major Greenbelt...thank you for your service and get home safe.
LB67 2 years, 10 months ago
well said recondo
my guess is Miss Tammy tried on her husbands rank and thought by contacting the pilot she could put pressure on the village of Pinehurst then discovered it's different living in Pinehurst than on base. I would think that the Major has some time in and his wife would know better than to dump little issues like that on him anyway, perhaps being a Major he has more time on his hands than the enlisted we happen to have a fire hydrant on the corner of our property, it is the towns right of way, I'm happy it's there, we get lower insurance rates because of it and peace of mind
foregolf 2 years, 10 months ago
I blows my mind that anyone is questioning what the Major does with his time. He SHOULD be concerned with what happens at home. People who are saying that he seems to have to much free time to be checking in on whats happening in Pinehurst...so you work 24 hours a day, no breaks, don't check your personal e-mails, don't make personal phone calls? This man is doing a job that I admire tremendously. He is separated from his family for long periods of time and probably WANTS to be as much a part of the everyday homelife that he can while stationed so far away. Nowhere is it mentioned what his job overseas is. How ignorant of you to think that he is in any way neglecting his duties when you don't even know what they are.
In response to the article, yes, I agree this seems a little trivial for a printing. But what if this was you and your yard. Many would have no problem with their yard being torn up without their knowledge (or easement- it is still what they have taken care of and maintained). But I personally would have liked a notice if it were me and now this article has brought what some may feel a problem to light and hopefully a solution will come out of it.
Lastly, thank you Major for doing your job that gives me the right to voice my opinion here. And thank you to your family, who make a sacrifice that I could not imagine.
recondo 2 years, 10 months ago
Foregolf what gives me the right to say anything to any officer NCO Or enlisted man in any branch of the service is the fact that i have seen many good soldiers killed because their head was not in the game and i have seen a few killed because their command staffs head was not in the game. Your attention has to be on the job you are doing that is most important at the time. yes he has down time yes he has days off and yes it is his right to do with that time anything he wishes to do. i just dont want him worried over trivial stuff while his job is to lead troops and make decisions that not only effect his life but the life of those he has been sworn to lead into battle. I fully support the major i hope when he gets home he gets it removed either legally or by digging it up himself. trust me i am the first one to support any home owner in a fight aganst what i consider to be the heavy hand of local government and trust me moore county and the Village elders are some of the worst offenders i know.
silentbob 2 years, 10 months ago
All I am going to say is to Drazil65. I bet if we offered the Major's salary to you for a year and every benefit he gets you wouldn't volunteer to go spend one night in Iraq. He has a right to check on his property and just because you think we pay him a hefty salary does not mean he can't check on things that are happening at home.
Poundman 2 years, 10 months ago
It's not his property plain and simple. Does he own the road too? Look at the GIS map of your property, you do not own the right of way and have no obligation to keep it up. We keep ours up and when they dug through it to put in some new cables we went out raked over it and moved on. When they come out and dig around in the sewer we go up and repine-straw it and move on. We choose to keep it up, we could just as easily choose not too.
CSmithson 2 years, 10 months ago
Good luck on getting MC Public utilities to re-sod or otherwise return the property to remotely the same or better condition. That's one of the big beefs Pinehurst has with the County. They'll come along and do work that they have a right to do, but have zero committment to fixing any landscape they destroyed other than throwing down some straw. They do the same thing to Army Majors as they do to high-ranking Pinehurst Village management. MCPU is equal opportunity with their scorched earth.
theonewithsense 2 years, 10 months ago
The way I read it the hydrant is not placed in an easement but placed in the public right of way, which makes a lot more sense. They describe the fire hydrant at a corner 15 feet from one road and 12 feet from another. Unless it is a very old subdivision or a strange situation, it isn't the mans property at all. The corner of two streets is the best place to put a hydrant.
MD11Fr8Dog 2 years, 10 months ago
Why wasn't the hydrant put in place many years ago when the roads and utilities were first laid out?
Bflat 2 years, 10 months ago
Folks in the military don't forget their homes and do have concern for what happens to or at their property while they are away. The issue here is not about any kind of preferential treatment by a ranking officer. It's about a yard being torn up and apparently an irrigation system was damaged...just like at the one on Juniper Creek that was left that way when no one was home. Is it really ok for the public right of way to be destroyed? Shouldn't there at least be some kind of cleanup afterward and the soil smoothed out? And yes, good question about why the hydrant is just now being placed! Maj Greenblatt, keep up the good work and keep voicing your opinion about what is right and wrong. If people sit back and do nothing, not one thing will ever get accomplished to make the community a better place. And to Mrs. Greenblatt, I would have been just as surprised along with a whole range of emotions upon coming home to something like that. I would have done the same thing in emailing the pictures.
greentara13 2 years, 10 months ago
It's grass; unless you are feeding goats or cows, who cares?
Stop wasting precious water and time on grass!
Maybe grow some food and be part of the solution, not the problem!
twocentsworth 2 years, 10 months ago
Although this hydrant was put in a public right of way and the Village of Pinehurst had the right to put it in, they should have given The Greenblatt's the common courteous on notifying them of what they were doing. Whenever a resident of Pinehurst wants to do anything on THEIR own property (build house, an addition, porch, etc.) it first has to be approved by the Village of Pinehurst. At the least VOP could do is notify the homeowner whenever they do anything on their lot, clean up any mess and repair any damages that occur.
As for all of you that have negative comments about Maj Greenblatt and for his concern with this situation and not focusing on his job. Maybe you all need to focus more on your jobs and less on this "trivial" article, as you call it.
Major Greenblatt, I appreciate what you and all of our military men/women and your families are doing for us and the sacrifices that you make.
runorbike 2 years, 10 months ago
@Greentara13-So you suggest that people stop wasting money on water on grass? You must not be a homeowner. And if you are, you must not realize the value of grass and how it prevents erosion, keeps dust down, increases the value of a home, and so on. Regardless whether or not the Major is has a valid complaint, a responsible homeowner cares what his/her grass and yard and the area around it looks like. The hydrant may not be on his property but if the area around it looks bad and is damaged, it creates a negative image of his yard. And many of us homeowners care about what our neighborhoods look like. And just because the Major is overseas doesn't mean he should lose touch of what is going on at home and in his community. Because of the internet, he is able to get involved.
phstresident 2 years, 10 months ago
@twocentsworth..........it's not the Village who installed the hydrant, it is Moore County Public Utilities. They should have been the ones to notify homeowners and responsible for restoring the landscape since it was improved. Quit hating on the Village...lol.
CNMT 2 years, 10 months ago
I think a lot of people are missing the point. While the fire hydrant is placed in the right-of-way, every place I have ever lived (4 states and a foreign country) the homeowner/resident is responsible for the upkeep of the right-of-way and can be cited if said right-of-way is not kept clean and neat. I think the Major's biggest complaint is the mess that was left behind after he spent his hard earned money making the area in front of his house look nice. I think he has a valid complaint!
To the comments about his wife using his military affiliation to get sympathy - that is the biggest bunch of bologna I have ever heard. I am willing to bet her only reason for contacting the Pilot was to make everyone aware of what could happen to any of us.
As an Air Force veteran I would like to thank Major Greenblatt for his service to his country. May you return home to your family soon....and may your front yard be fixed before you get here! And to Mrs. Greenblatt, thank you for keeping things running here at home while the good Major is deployed.
Ross 2 years, 10 months ago
whew - all this HOT air about nothing. Too bad we can't harness it and power a car with it!
jr27356 2 years, 10 months ago
waaaaa waaaaa waaaa
Poundman 2 years, 10 months ago
next week in the pilot young boy gets ice cream cone knocked out of hand and sues the village for faulty sidewalk
LB67 2 years, 10 months ago
Major Greenblatt signed his comment " Pinehurst Resident in 6 weeks!!!! " IMO this could have waited 6 weeks, until he got home to deal with it in person
greentara13 2 years, 10 months ago
I do own a home. I have never watered the grass, never needed too. I put in local drought resistant plants, herbs and flowers in a self sustainable system. I did this over time, on my own. (Great free therapy and exercise!) oh, and it increased my property value and became an inspiration to the others in my neighborhood to start gardening. We exchange seeds and excess produce. I make herbal medicine out of some of the herbs. Cook with the rest.
When I went back to school last year I rented my home so I could live closer to my school. The people I rented to, unfortunately killed a lot of my plants off because they didn't know any better. It's ok, plants are very prolific, they will grow back.
Some people have never lived somewhere where clean water wasn't readily available.
Water is for people first, food second. It's not a option for most of the world. Don't live in a bubble of ignorance. One of the first things I learned as a child was to clean up after myself and be kind and share.
SCCstudent 2 years, 10 months ago
So why does the Kingdom require building contractors to sod the right-of-ways? Do they belong to the Kingdom, the State DOT, or the people of Moore County - who pay the bills. Moore County doesn't own anything ~ the people do....
Major ~ thank you and all of those who serve our country. You shouldn't have to deal with this at all. The only good to come out of it, your house fire insurance should drop significantly. Hey I have a hydrant tap you can screw on to water at night. No Charge!
Scott 2 years, 10 months ago
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