Long grass on town land upsets Newmarket neighbours

Yorkregion.com
May 14, 2015
By Lisa Queen

Newmarket officials will review how often grass is cut on town-owned boulevards and town land adjoined to some residents’ homes after The Era raised the concerns of some Eagle Street neighbours.

“As a result of this, we will take a look at the frequency of the cutting and make sure it is in line with the property standards bylaw that says lawns should be kept in a tidy manner,” Mark Agnoletto, senior manager of public works services, said.

The review comes after resident Metin Mehmet, who lives at the corner of Eagle and James streets, told The Era he and other neighbours are upset with the infrequency with which the town has the grass cut on town-owned boulevards and land between the sidewalk and their homes.

Usually, homeowners cut the grass on town boulevards between the sidewalk and the road and the first few feet of town-owned land on their properties, Agnoletto said, but in some cases, the size of the town-owned land is significantly larger than normal, or residents are incapable of cutting the grass.

In those cases, the town pays a contractor to cut the grass, Agnoletto said.

That’s the case for Mehmet, who bought his home in 1999.

Up until three or four years ago, he paid someone to cut the grass on the wide swath of town-owned land.

Reasoning he shouldn’t have to pay in addition to his property taxes, Mehmet contacted the town, which agreed it would take over the maintenance, but Mehmet said he routinely has to call the town to get the grass cut.

“The grass was up to here. You could lose a dog in it,” he said, adding an 83-year-old neighbour cut the grass on the boulevard Monday.

“The town has accepted responsibility it’s their property and has told me in writing and they will maintain it on a regular basis. We always have to be calling and calling and calling them. It’s ridiculous. If I had a little boulevard, I would cut it gladly. I don’t mind, that’s nothing, but this (town-owned land) is bigger than my property.”

As a result of Mehmet’s concerns, the town will increase grass cutting to once a month, although that may be increased if there is a lot of rain or decreased during a drought, Agnoletto said.

The town will also review the frequency of grass cutting in similar situations around the town to ensure fairness for other residents, he said.

“At the end of the day, we’re a neighbour and we want to work with people to see if we can come to a consensus or make a service better,” he said.