Once again, ugly isn’t illegal

Now and then we come across situations where we must apply a maxim so common here at Inquirer Central it should be on a brass plaque: “Ugly Ain’t Illegal.”

Oh sure, sometimes when something I’m called about is in fact ugly, it’s violating some city code, but often it’s not, which seems to be the case today.

A Concerned Reader named Ben tipped me off to the problem last week. During his daily drive into town from his plush, spacious and well-appointed digs in Midland, Ben encounters a huge mess at the intersection of Psalmond and Beaver Run roads. The southwest corner, to be specific.

Ben described it as a huge pile of limbs, logs and brush “as high as a two-story house.” He said it looks like a developer is clearing property and dumping the stuff on the side of the road.

“It’s an eyesore, and they should do something about it,” Ben said.

So we contacted Deputy Public Works Director Ron Smith, who said he would look into it.

Smith said he was sure the developer would have gotten a “soil disturbance permit” from the Engineering Department, and that as long as the stuff isn’t piled on the city right of way, it can be stored temporarily on private property.

“It’s like when someone is building a subdivision, they shove all that stuff into one corner,” Smith said. “Eventually, they’ll haul it off. That’s what it looks like they’re doing there.”

Which brings us back to the maxim that ugly isn’t necessarily illegal. Which is good, because if it were, some guys I went to school with would be doing life without.

Update

You remember the situation on Forrest Road, just east of Morris Road where it crosses Bull Creek and Cooper Creek? The Cooper Creek Bridge was shut down for months while the bridge was replaced and half the Bull Creek Bridge was shut down at the same time, funneling all the traffic into two lanes. You’ll recall that the Cooper Creek Bridge was finally reopened, but then work was halted on the Bull Creek Bridge while AT&T moved some phone lines.

Well, it appears work has resumed on the bridge over Bull Creek. Stay tuned.

This story was originally published November 6, 2016 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Once again, ugly isn’t illegal."