Sunset Hill Community Meeting

Sunset Hill Community Meeting

History:

The Sunset Hill Community has been experiencing an issue with water damage due to lack of storm drains or proper infrastructure. The water funnels in from the street and runs through the backyards on the street, flooding garages, basements, yards, and driveways. There have been several complaints made in recent years, however, the City of Liberty has explained that they will not address the issue. The neighbors of the community have now been forced into a meeting to discuss next steps.

Community Members:

Abigail and Jared: owners of the first two lots on the hill. The water begins pouring in from their yard, however, this starts due to a gap in the curb that the City created. Abby and Jared are currently in a complete remodel of their home.

Nicole and Andy: next house down the street. The meeting is being held in their home. Nicole purchased the home with her previous boyfriend, however, when they broke up she threw all of his belongings into the front yard. The police were involved… the whole neighborhood still talks about it. She is currently happily married to Andy. They have the most significant problem with the water as it has flooded their garage so many times, there is currently black mold covering the entire interior.

Marge: older lady, retired, quite angry at the whole world. She has called this meeting and quite frankly, forced everyone into attendance. She has been at Sunset hill for 22 years.

Marty, John, and Tonya: Marty and her husband Dave purchased the home and have given it to their son and his wife – John and Tonya. Marty wants John and Tonya involved in the community, she also wants everyone to know who is the benevolent keeper of the keys. They are the newest neighbors.

Dana: Homeowner/landlord. She is renting out her first home and is concerned about the loss of investment due to the water.

Betty: very old, frail lady. She grew up on the street behind Sunset Avenue and has lived on the street for 16 years.

Sarah Beth: Abigail’s best friend. No one really knows why she is here.

Kellie: A reporter from the paper that Marg invited – to the surprise of everyone else.

The meeting:

Once everyone had arrived, Marge described the purpose of the gathering. Up to this point, no one was aware that a reporter would be present, nor that Marge was planning to take on City Hall. Surprise! We have now all been informed that Kearney (neighboring town) recently had a neighborhood present a water damage case to their City Hall. The interaction was covered by the newspaper and now, the City of Kearney has addressed the issue. We should model our situation after this group of avengers. Marge provides a timeline of Kearney’s development – starting with its establishment in 1856. EIGHTEEN FIFTY SIX. Don’t worry, we also get the same rundown of Liberty’s history – by the way, Liberty was established in 1822. The history lesson wrapped up into the following argument: Liberty is older than Kearney, therefore, it should have better infrastructure. Interesting. Everyone dutifully rallies behind this point, noting that Marge is a hero for initiating this meeting of the minds.

Now, poor Betty presents her story. Apparently, there used to be a creek that ran through the back yards – exactly the same track that the water currently runs. At some point, the city transformed the creek into a ditch to catch all the water. Recently, the city chose to fill in the ditch, create curbs, and leave the rest to nature. Here is the problem, the city created a gap in the curbs that acts as a funnel to push all the water through the yards. This was not the intention of the city, however, it is the result.

Nicole’s unofficial turn begins. She presents a very strong argument about the dangers of the water and the consequential threats that have resulted. She describes the mold that has consumed her garage, the flooding that has damaged landscapes, the rushing water that has destroyed fencing and retaining walls. She continues to note how every neighbor has invested time, money, and effort into their properties – though this may be in vain due to water damage and inability to sell in the future due to mold. Incredibly persuasive and clear arguments. There is a new surge in neighborhood excitement about the issue.

Conversations continue about the issues experienced. Every neighbor has documented expenses, flooding, and property damage. Tanya voices that she is willing to argue anything, just give her a cause. Nicole notes that her previous boyfriend began a discussion with City Hall, however, they broke up prior to a resolution. Now, at this point Nicole loses all strength and clarity of mind. She explains that she lived with a man who “is not her husband” but “was a previous relationship” noting that “he has all the records of communication” – basically, a dramatically clumsy effort to explain that she has no records because her former live-in boyfriend created the case. While Nicole defends her relationships (in the most unclear, uncomfortable “I used to live with a man, but now I don’t, and he was not my husband” way) Sarah Beth chimes in “Its okay Nicole, the boyfriend and husband were not living here at the same time!”

Please note – Sarah Beth has been drinking. So has Jared. Jared is wearing swim trunks as a nod to the “water slide that affects our property”. Awesome. Sarah Beth and Jared have been on the sidelines of this entire interaction. Occasionally they throw in small pieces of irrelevant information.

The reporter steps in. Explaining that, as a neighborhood, we have a strong case and should attend a meeting with City Hall to argue our case. This is just what Marge was looking for – we are now a group of vigilantes working toward the common goal of water containment. But wait! Tonya has also been waiting for this moment – She gets to create a PowerPoint. Apparently these are her bread and butter. It is at this point that Nicole and Tanya enter a power struggle. They are both in Marketing with a degree in graphic design. They both need the credit for the presentation. It is a glorious display of passive aggressive comments to each other with a common goal to help the group. Who is the better person to help? Obviously Nicole! Andy steps in immediately to defend his wife’s ability to complete the task. “Nicole really is the most persuasive, I think she and I will create a script and presentation for the group and everyone can provide input later”. Tanya’s husband just is not strong enough to step up and defend his wife’s incredible PowerPoint abilities. Then, out of nowhere, Jared, a man of few words and a dislike for most people announces “I want to present to City Council”. Uuuummm…. What?! Every person in the meeting turns to look at the man in the swim trunks who is volunteering to represent the group. It is agreed – Nicole will create a script, Jared will present, and alas, Nicole has agreed to allow Tanya a chance at creating a power point. With direction and determination, we have now waged war on the Liberty City Hall.

Kellie has agreed to support the group in our effort to manage the water. She will even go so far as to put a story in the paper. We all pose for a picture. Kellie gives one last boost of encouragement before she leaves to create the compelling story that will persuade the rest of Liberty to rally behind us.

Once Kellie has left, the neighbors go around the room to introduce themselves to each other, being sure to identify what they do for a living as this will identify the strengths of each individual.

Nicole – Brand Manager of an animal Pharmaceutical Company

Andy – Medical Director of the same Pharmaceutical Company

Jared – Designer working with Lowe’s (note: he designed the interior of John and Tanya’s house – with the consent of their parents, Marty and Dave. They may or may not love the ideas of their parents)

Abigail – Executive Assistant at a Mental Health Center (eyebrows raise)

Sarah – Case Manager at the same Mental Health Center (subtle mutterings between John and his mother) It is at this point that everyone in the room determines that John must have some sort of Mental Illness. The reality is that John has a background in working in Mental Health – but that is not as interesting as inappropriately diagnosing someone.

Marge- Retired. She spends her days angrily concocting new ways to make others unhappy.

Betty – Retired.

Marty – John’s mother. This is the only description she gives of her life. John is thrilled – he is also 35, attending a meeting with his mother who owns his home and now everyone thinks he is crazy. Life is good for John.

John – works at Hallmark – likely because of his winning smile and fondness for wholesome interpersonal interactions.

Tanya – Data Analyst at a Bank.

Dana- Landlord.

With everyone’s strengths defined based on their current employment, the group settles in to create a strategic plan. Nicole voices that she does not want to be the leader of the group. She has no interest in coordinating this effort but would be pleased to help out any way she can. Nicole then explains that she will create a script and a rough Power Point. She will also determine a date to meet at City Hall. All others are assigned to collect information. Jared volunteers to collect cost estimates to completely fix the water issue. Marge expresses her happiness in the group, she finally has her army. Tanya launches the second passive attack on Nicole. She really needs to do this PowerPoint - it could define her career. Nicole is okay with this since she does not want to lead the group, however, she will need to review the final product before presentation. Marge notes that we need to go to City Hall every month, as a group, to keep the council aware of the issue. With our assignments in place the group disperses.

We meet again next week.