Health Department Complaint against 438 East Main Street

Editorial Note: The below letter was sent to the Eye and we are posting in its entirety as it was sent to us. Nothing written in this letter has been researched or verified by the Eye, nor has the letter been edited. The letter expresses the opinion and experience solely of the person who wrote it.

Hello,

My name is Jackson LaRose. I am the owner and inhabitant of 438 East Main Street. Last year, the health department lodged a complaint against the condition of my property, which they claim is a "potential harborage for vermin". The reason being is that I haven't mown my lawn, because I am attempting to repair my soil based upon accepted Permaculture practices. As such, the grasses and other broad-leaf annuals (chicory, dandelion, etc.) in my yard grown taller than they had deemed safe. They sent me a legal order that I cut the offending plants. I appealed in front of the State Board of Health, lost my appeal, and asked the Health inspector and city attorney what I needed to do to be in compliance. The health inspector's answer was,

"Cut everything."

I wasn't sure to what height, if trees and shrubs also counted, garden flowers, vegetables, etc.

After my repeated requests for more clarification, she became frustrated and referred me to the City Attorney. He told me that I could either mow or mulch. I chose to mulch, and spread town provided mulch on my property over the winter. In the spring, almost all of the grass species were gone (smothered by the mulch), allowing the broad-leaf annuals to spread. I thought this would be satisfactory, because grass is the only type of plant mentioned in the legal order, and the remainder who came up through the mulch are widely considered to be wildflowers (chicory, goldenrod, dandelion, yellow hawkweed, etc.).

Earlier this week I received a packet from the City Attorney. Contained within was a lawsuit for violating the order of the city. They threatened to sue me for $119,500 ($250 a day from the pre-appeal deadline of Jun. 21, 2010) plus any legal fees. I called the attorney to ask why I had been sent this, and he claims I had not complied with the order. I tryed to remind him of our conversation last November concerning the mulch, of course, he conveniently "did not recall", but he also said it did not look like I mulched at all from the pictures he saw (although there is clearly hardly any grass in my yard anymore, and mulch clearly visible). I asked what he wanted me to do, and he referred me to the Health Inspector. I asked her again what she would like me to do. Again,

"Cut everything."

I asked her for some guidelines I could follow in the future to avoid the threat of such a large lawsuit. Her only answer was,

"You know what to do, it has to go."

She also mentioned no "weeds" (but would not specify what she meant by that vague term), and that all flowers had to be "landscaped" (again, no definition of terms). She also refused to put anything into writing (statement of compliance, guidelines, etc.) She is coming by my house Monday morning to do a walk through so she can point out what she means, since she is either unwilling or unable to do so over the phone.

I am now afraid that this woman has become the overlord of my property. I don't want to wonder every time I adjust the flora of my yard, whether or not the specter of this outrageous lawsuit will return to haunt me. It is also my belief that the health inspector has taken our past exchanges personally, and will keep me "under the microscope" out of her dislike for me.

I spoke to the ACLU, and they advised me to get my story out to some local media outlets. I'm hoping you can bring some light on what I feel is an unjust situation.

- Thank You,

Jackson LaRose

438 East Main Street

Middletown, CT 06457

apeheadqwerty@yahoo.com

Editorial Note: The above letter was sent to the Eye and we are posting in its entirety as it was sent to us. Nothing written in this letter has been researched or verified by the Eye, nor has the letter been edited. The letter expresses the opinion and experience solely of the person who wrote it.

Leave the leaves

It's going to be a rainy weekend, and not much good for raking, but if you haven't already raked the fallen foliage, you may want to read this article forwarded by new correspondent, Reporter Fang.

Let Leaves Feed Your Soil

by Jean English
Copyright 2008

Looking for free "fertilizer" for your lawn or garden?

Look to leaves! Leaves that drop in the fall can supply all the nutrients needed in a vegetable garden. They'll even supply a wider range of essential nutrients than a bag of 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizer, because tree roots draw over a dozen plant nutrients up from the soil and deposit them in leaves. Bags of synthetic fertilizer, on the other hand, often contain just three essential plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

So, instead of thinking of leaves as waste that needs to go "away," think of your yard as a source of nutrients, a green manure crop, for your garden.

The University of Florida (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG323) found that "good yields of such crops as cucumbers, tomato and greens can be expected after 2 to 3 years of applications of at least 20 tons [of oak leaves] per acre annually." That's a little under 5 pounds per 100 square feet.

Some people worry that adding leaves to the garden will tie up nitrogen that crop plants need. This won't be a problem if you add leaves as a mulch in the fall (especially if you've shredded the leaves by running over them with a lawnmower), so that soil organisms and weather move them into the soil slowly. Also, including grass clippings with leaves adds nitrogen to the mix, further reducing the chance of nitrogen deficiency, as does mulching the garden with additional grass clippings throughout the summer.

If you don't have a garden to receive leaves, or you don't have a lawn mower that catches clippings and leaves, just leave the leaves on the lawn, mowing them a few times during the fall to shred them. Denise Ellsworth of Ohio State University Extension writes, "Research has shown that lawns can absorb many pounds of shredded leaves with no detrimental effects." She says that Purdue researchers mowed 2 tons of leaves per acre into turf grass annually for five years. They saw no increase in disease or weed problems and no pH or nutrient-availability issues. Microbial activity did increase-a sign of improved soil quality. ("Leaves benefit gardens as compost and mulch," Akron Beacon Journal, Nov. 10, 2007).

Decomposing leaves improve soil structure so that it absorbs more moisture during rains and holds that moisture better during dry spells. Your lawn will stay greener longer in the summer.

If you don't want to mow and shred leaves, you can rake them into compost piles and make leaf mold-a good substitute for peat moss in the garden and in potting mixes.

This article is provided by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), PO Box 170, Unity, ME 04988; 207-568-4142; mofga@mofga.org; www.mofga.org. Joining MOFGA helps support and promote organic farming and gardening in Maine and helps Maine consumers enjoy more healthful, Maine-grown food. Copyright 2006. Please let us know if you reprint this article. Thanks!