Posted on 08/12/2013 8:58:30 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A handicap ramp in front of a Fountain family's house is in the middle of a neighborhood squabble.
Vincent and Heidi Giesegh say their neighbors are threatening legal action if they don't remove the ramp. They say the next door couple is worried that the ramp will hurt the value of their home. The Giesegh's say they need it for their 16 year old daughter Kirsten who has Cerebral Palsy.
"As she goes into her spastic modes, we could just tumble down the stairs and both of us could get massively hurt," said Heidi Giesegh.
The Giesegh's neighborhood doesn't have an HOA, and the family says the City of Fountain told them it was ok to install the ramp and widen their driveway for a handicap van. 11 News went next door to get the neighbor's side of the story and they told us no comment.
"It's kind of irritating," said Vincent Giesegh. "I mean we're trying to do our best to assist our daughter with her daily needs to get in and out of the house."
The Giesegh's home is part of a community under construction. We reached out to the home's builder and they say they've also received complaints from the neighbors.
The Giesegh's say they've contacted the Rocky Mountain American Disability Center for help.
If it looks like hell the neighbors could help get a good looking one if that is the issue, but the girl has needs and the reasonable use of a way to get into the home.
I know some things can be an eye sore if they make it badly, was that the case here?
nope - concrete, well constructed, with a handrail.
neighbor gets a$$ of the year award.
No HOA then the neighbors have no say. People have to mind their own business.
If the neighbor doesn’t like the look of the ramp, he can spring for a wheel chair lift.
People never cease to amaze me. The neighbors don’t even have the balls to talk to the media. You would think they would speak if they believed their cause was just. They ain’t talking because they know they are dead wrong. Too late. The rest of the World already knows they are heartless asshats.
Tabloid garbage to get people’s emotions stirred up. I bet the thread will go to 500 replies, especially if I say that I could care less (sic!) !
I bet the neighbors are Obama voters.
I personally think that they should be publicly shamed and shunned wherever they may go.
Do you have a link to a better alternative?
NO ONE is more than a traffic accident away from needing a ramp or more.
Karma can be a cruel b!tch.
Just sayin'...
Someone needs to tie that neighbor’s rear-end into a wheelchair for a week. They would have a different opinion after only a day, but only if they have a brain and a heart..... Which may be asking too much.
I broke my leg a month ago. I have always had compassion for those that are handicapped. Now I have even more compassion. It is hard out there to navigate up curbs, over thresholds and go long distances. It is exhausting.
Some shrubbery and flower beds could easily hide it. It looks relatively new, so many just not done yet. Or better yet, the neighbors volunteer to help the family install said plantings.
neighbor gets a$$ of the year award.
Without a picture, I am going to disagree here. An "afterthought" handicap ramp almost always looks awful. But, they are usually constructed of wood and are clearly temporary structures. When the need for the ramp ends, the ramp is dismantled and the eyesore is gone.
An afterthought concrete ramp is still an eyesore, but it is permanent.
I would have no problem at all with my neighbors building a temporary handicap ramp, but a serious problem with property value degradation if they built a permanent concrete one.
* * * * *
Before you start thinking this is unreasonable, DW and I are getting up in years, and I built a concrete handicap ramp into our retirement house. It is inside the garage and being part of the original design is not an eyesore. Not only that, but we keep the garage closed and no one even knows it is there.
We don't need it yet, but if we ever do it is available. And, anyone using the ramp is protected from the weather all the way into the car.
A little forethought and an eyesore can be turned into an asset.
“No HOA”
Even with a HOA. They get to keep the ramp.
I don’t disagree,just saying the neighbors don’t have any right to say anything and they might under an HOA which could have restrictions on the type of ramp that’s there.
Yet the ADA would require the sales office to be handicap compliant.
The “neighbors” need to get a life.
What could these people be complaining about?
Discrimination against a disabled person without cause can be costly.
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