Zoning Board - Regular Meeting

I do have insurance, thank God, because it'd be up to about 20 grand in fees. We have insurance nationwide. And then they went like they weren't going to do it. We were paying like 125. Now we went to some other company and it's 500 for the year or something. Much less money. Yeah. I think I pay like 30 40 bucks a month through Canion. And they both surgeries were around like one was like 70 80, the other was like 80. Yeah. Then I told my insurance, so it ends up out of pocket costing me about 1200 to,500 bucks, which is not a lot. But like, you know, when they first told me eight grand, I'm like, I can buy four of these

two days. Okay. You don't want a towel? Oh, Jesus. He's throwing up throwing up every time I try to ask $5,000. And that's the thing. I feel like you go to these places like I a couple times I've been there and you're there, you know, you wait sometimes and you see people come through and I'm like this place I got to open one of these places. who plays a gold mine and you know it's like they just come up with crazy numbers state it's like $1,000 like minimal you walk in they want $1,000 deposit

and the thing is it's not like there's 25 places that you have options it's like you got maybe one or two I did too actually they said it was going to be they you know you put deposit down they said this is what the treatment's going to be the max but this is what we need so it was like three grand then you already get yeah like nothing's $75 and then you get the final came out to a vet is more I think it's more than the thing. Yeah. I think a vet is more than a witch to get the it's more than a doctor but they want the money up front. Yeah. I'm like I need to just buy a buy a building open a place and let the vets go to work. That's hor.

But I did hear war is really good. I know someone that took their dog and apparently they let you like in the back like the whole time you can on route too. The new one that's on their Home Depot supposedly. That's really good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's Yeah, you're like in the back with them. Yep. Yep. You know, my only thing was one, I obviously panicked. I said, "Let me go to Ocean State and I forgot about it." And two, I'm like, "You know what? They already did two surgeries." Like, if they need they they like know this dog by heart. I don't even check. No, he's seven. He has had a bad back. Yeah. I mean, then the minute I got him, I got insurance because dachshunds, many dachshunds are notorious for bad backs because they got the long back.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, they have like, you know, their back is like very long. So, a lot of times, like, let's say you don't want them like jumping up and down on stuff. They could jump and literally their back could just snap. Yeah. It's crazy. So, they're like, even when I went there, they're like, we do the surgery like twice a week on like Yeah. So, I kind of like knew would do it, but like I didn't know. Oh, forget it. I mean I was 20 I would have had to put even the first time I was there they kind of came in and like somber and like like you know it's gonna be about eight grand blah blah blah thinking probably assuming I'm going to go yeah I said oh I have insurance I think it comes in the whole attitude change they're like oh yeah you're all set then blah blah blah I was like oh yeah correct

like oh you got that whole mood attitude change yeah and it's like I don't want to say they like pray on people but it's like again what's my options I'm not touching the dog. So, it's like, okay, there's not 10 other places. So, it's like your hands are tied basically. I think we can so important. Oh. Oh, right now. Am I like to call to order the zoning board meeting?

Oh, 2025. We're going to stand out for the pledge allegiance. To the flag it stands nation justice for all. I'd like to have a vote for the approval of the minutes from our last meeting January 16th 2025. Make a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of January 16, 2025.

I'll second it. Okay. Motion approved. All in favor? I. So, our proposal tonight is for Nine Berry Court, North Providence. Pardon me. Attendance. Roll call. Roll call. Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot the roll call. We'll have a roll call for attendance. Ken Catalozi. No. Ken Scotty. Ken Scotty. Yeah, I'm here. Al Carde here. Paul Peasy

and myself in attendance. Angelica. So nine Berry Court recommendation to the zoning board regarding a request for a two-foot fence height variance under section 311D screening and fencing construct an 8ft tall fence along the rear property line. Could the person who is presenting this proposal step forward? Can you state your name? Boris Knuckles. Boris Knuckles. Yes. Thank you. Oh, can you speak on your proposal?

Sure. I want to put a 8ft fence directly um on the border with with the park and also essentially back to the property. Um what's happening is the cord got expanded. I'm getting a lot of traffic in in my yard. The six foot passage is just not tall enough to prevent all of uh tennis balls flying over. Um also my yard takes a dip. So can you excuse us in the audience? Excuse us. Can you please not talk while he's speaking? Thank you. And if you could speak more to the microphone, that would be helpful. Is that that? Yes.

So, essentially, I have privacy concerns. I have trespassers. Um, there's been a fire accident. There's flying tennis balls. Um, the court got expanded just about last year. There was a lot smaller. There was a lot less traffic. Now, I have people coming in coming into my backyard. I just want to have a sense of privacy. They want to be able to enjoy my backyard because of these recent changes. I just can't. Um, tennis balls are flying over. There's people coming in to get them. Um, my yard takes a dip. So, 8 foot fence does not prevent that. Doesn't give me the six foot fence doesn't give me the privacy and it doesn't prevent the tons of boats flying over.

All right. Do you have any type of would there be any kind of u water leakage of any type that could drain down? Is it any slope? Like if there's a heavy rain, would that But um I'm not from your property to the other properties. I don't know if the fence would inter it wouldn't interfere with it, but would there be any type of on the on the side that's directly bordering the court? There's already fence in existence, so I just need to replace it. There is. Okay. So, you're going to put this right against it,

right? The existing fence will get replaced. And there's a bigger chunk of uh property in the backside that doesn't exist. This fence doesn't exist. that's going to get placed. The water drains towards the court. There's nothing stopping it. Um the fence wouldn't stop it either. It's not going to be prevented from water drainage or anything like that. All right. So, the only variance is that you want to make it 2 ft higher than what is required, what the regulation involves. Correct. That's really it. Yeah. I just want privacy and I just want balls not in my yard. All right. I have two small I have I have have three children but two smaller one and I just don't want you know the balls coming in and dunking them on the head. All right,

that's really it. If I may just um say something. Um so the town doesn't have an issue with the two foot variance request. However, um it was brought to our attention yesterday, I believe it was, um that your current fence is on the church property. So my advice would be to actually My fence is on the church property. Yeah. If you want to take a look over here. Sure. There's no there's no fence bordering church property. defenses.

I would just recommend you uh take a look and maybe I want to figure out your property line just because or maybe talk to the church, maybe make a deal about representative. Yeah. About purchasing that land if they choose to sell it. Um Okay. since it looks like it has been maintained as yard for some time. Yeah. I don't know how long that fence has been in existence, but I mean that property for I think four years and so it's been there prior to me moving in. Yeah. I mean if the fence needs to be replaced I imagine it's probably at least 10 to 15 years old. So y I mean yeah it's fallen apart so I imagine it's at least that old.

All right. Thank you. Is there anyone in the audience who is for or against this proposal that would like to speak?

Can you state your name, please? Uh my name is uh Theodore Neielsen. I'm here representing the interest of the church in North Providence. Could you repeat what you just said? Representing Pardon? I didn't understand what you just said. Representing what? the church in North Proidence. Okay. That the fence abuts.

So, we are an ab budding neighbor to Mr. Knox and uh our only concern is there's uh like like he's experienced, we have had trespassers and and they vandalized the building uh windows in particular. So we have no opposition to his variance or his fence, but we our concern is that the line will be clearly established by a surveyor.

So are you requesting to have it the land surveyed before this fence is installed? I'm sorry. I'm a little hard of hearing it. I'm not sure what you just said. Are you requesting to have a the land surveyed before he has the fence if the fence is approved or do you want it surveyed before it is approved? Do you want it surveyed? Want it surveyed and then whatever steps after that are proper that that would be uh taken. All right. So do as I understand he's against having the fence installed. Is that correct Brent?

Uh he's against the location. I don't think he's against the variance request, but he just wants to ensure that the property line is uh established essentially uh marked out so they can make sure that it's not encroaching on church property. So, as I would understand it, I think contingent on a survey could make even the board should. So, I I just want to say that the the town doesn't require permits for fences or surveys. So asking for one would be like an additional request. So I just want to make you aware. It's not required, Brent, but

it's not. But I mean, you may you can request a survey as as a condition if you so choose to, but um I just wanted to point out that it's not a standard requirement. Well, I would think to it would be to the benefit of the applicant to have it surveyed if if not they could make them take it down. Yeah. Essentially, uh installing a fence in North Province is at your own risk if you don't know your property line. So, and then we don't get involved in uh property disputes. That's more of a civil matter. So, um yeah,

just be aware going forward. So if this is approved, do we have to make a condition that the land is surveyed before the fence is installed? That would be our request. Yes. Okay. And can we approve it requiring that condition approve it tonight and then they have to deal with whatever happens afterwards? Yeah, you can approve it with any conditions you feel may be necessary. Right.

All right. Thank you. Do we have anyone else in the office who has a comment for or against this proposal? All right. All right. So, we will have a vote with a condition that the land is surveyed to delineate the separation of the of the properties before the fence is installed. Do I have a vote to approve? I'll make a motion. Motion to approve. I mean motion to approve. Second the motion. So all in favor say I. Please. I.

If you're against it, say nay. I have just one one issue with this. Let's have one issue with it that the um if it's not required, we're putting an undo undo burden on the homeowner to to get the survey. I don't think that's that's very fair to the homeowner. have to take this extra uh cost on. So another aspect of this is that um if he gets approval for the 8ft fence, he it would require a survey if you make it a condition. However, he could still build a sixoot fence without a survey. So that

but a six foot fence isn't going to do him any good if the over. He needs an 8 foot. So, um, but like even even if it is approved tonight and he has an approval in hand, he could still opt to just do a conforming fence the standard way. So, okay. But at at any point the church could question the property line, right, and have him remove the six to eight, whatever, if there's no survey in place. Is that correct? Yeah. Yeah. Unless I mean if if that instance occurs, one of them would have to do a survey to figure out where the property line is and then there'd be some kind of I mean if they didn't agree there'd be a court case. If not

definitely unjust to the property owner, but the alternative is he doesn't do it then the church says we want a survey and then it's improperly placed. Again, like you said, that's more of a civil matter, but yeah, like I said before, it's at your own risk if you build a fence in North Province because we don't require surveys or permits. So, if you feel that your property lines there, you can build it. But if you aren't entirely sure, just know there is a chance that the other property owner could, you know, make it be removed.

I do have one other question though. Outside of making a contingent on the survey, could a a something as simple as a conversation between both property owners and a written document from the representative of the church? Say we we wave the you know requirement of a survey. However, we require that he move it in a foot or something like that. That's often times how uh these kind of I just did survey. It's not cheap. So yeah. And going to court the whole process is not cheap. So that's generally people like to settle kind of say a foot and call it a day. Yeah.

So there is a motion on the floor that was seconded. I don't know if the um if the moving party wants to amend their motion. If not, it would have to be voted on.

I mean I would assume it would be up to the the owners of either apostle. I mean, if they want to come back up and, you know, if the church is looking for it to be surveyed and the and the I don't want to put any undue stress on the homeowner, but I I think maybe they can make the amends to make a decision here and then I if I need to amend, I'll amend. I mean, I if if if the church wants a survey and and they don't want it on their land and the homeowner doesn't want to do it, Basically, it's in their hands, not ours. I mean, you know,

yeah, you can approve the requested relief without condition for a survey. Um, and just leave it. I mean, he's aware now. So, both parties are here and they're aware of the uh I can fine back on them to handle it. Yeah. So, we want to approve it uh as is without the conditions. With no conditions. put out the condition, but basically it's it's well I actually is there one condition? I think I I made it strictly adhere to the site plan. So he just would have to conform to the the site plan they submitted with the 8 foot fence and

you said in the town it's not a requirement to do a driven to put a fence up but basically if it's put up and it's in the wrong place it's between the two parties themselves. Exactly. Yeah. And the town wouldn't get involved. I'll make a motion to amend my decision to relieve of the of the survey needing to be done. However, it it's up to the two owners of the you know each property to deal with it. So for the record, is the motion to approve the variance as drafted on the site plan with the understanding that both parties are aware that there might be some dispute on the property line to

I'll make that motion. I'll make it approval as written. I'll second it. All in favor? All in favor say I. I right proposal is approved. Just just I just I just want to understand so what was the conclusion? I just want to have a clear understanding what was approved and what what is it that is any conditions anything I just want to understand all that you got the approval with the only condition being

that all construction is in strict conformance with the site plan submitted as part part of the application. So you just just have to make sure the eight foot fence is limited to the yellow highlighted on your on your plan that you Okay. So yeah. So it just follows where I marked it. So 8 foot fence has to follow what I marked. Yeah. And then six foot fence at your own risk. Like I said, we don't we don't require that. I don't need to get it permit or anything like that. Yeah. I got you. Okay. You just consider yourself to be on notice that maybe there's some dispute us the property line and you guys can deal with that amongst yourselves. So the plan great. Thank you. There's no there are no other proposals or matters. Do we have a motion to end the meeting? Take a motion to

a second. Thank you. Okay. I

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I get I sit on another board at the state level and I'm like right there you can slap me the next time. Keep my m I only took 51 and 62 back. Mom, at least you know