Chrissy Smith had questions for East Franklin supervisors about right-of-way of her property at the corner of Butler Road and Rainbow Drive in Walkchalk.
A Walkchalk resident approached the East Franklin Township supervisors about a shed permit.
Chrissy Smith, who lives at the corner of Rainbow Drive and Butler Road, told supervisors that Codes Officer Greg McKelvey was not being responsive to her.
Chrissy Smith had issues with paying a $15 permit application for a shed.
“I left a message a few months ago for permit questions about a shed. Greg never contacted me back. I thought, ‘Ok fine, I don’t need one’. I put a shed up. I just come back Monday from vacation. I have a notice in my mailbox that “a couple people” brought it to his attention - which I’m assuming I can tell you who those couple of people were - that I put up a shed. Now I have left messages for Greg. I came in here, left a message with the secretary; I’ve yet to hear back from Greg. Now, I’m a little perturbed by that, because I was doing the right thing to begin with, never got a phone call, and now you want me to buy a permit - which it’s only $15. That’s fine - but when you don’t get back to me in the first place, I have an issue with that. And, now you’re sending me a letter because “a couple people” brought it to your attention.”
McKelvey, who was not at last Thursday’s meeting, explained the situation to the Kittanning Paper.
“Early last week, two different people of authority brought it to my attention that Chrissy Smith had a shed put in front of her house. In our township, we charge a modest fee so that we are aware of these things and know they are properly placed. I sent her a short letter and included a completed application. I explained she needed a permit and asked her to drop off a $15 check to the township. I didn’t hear anything for awhile, I didn’t do anything. On Wednesday afternoon, after I had left the office, she came into the office, looking for me.”
The office workers said she was in tears talking about the situation.
“After she was in the office on Wednesday, she did leave a message on my machine. She had made it very clear to the office staff that she was not going to buy a $15 permit.”
McKelvey denied any previous calls.
“Any previous attempts to reach me over this issue never happened. I keep very good records of all my phone calls,” McKelvey said.
“When I came in Thursday, to avoid increasing my blood pressure and getting involved in any further issue with Ms. Smith, I completed the application, wrote a permit, paid for it out of my own pocket, and put it in the mail. To me, that concluded the issue. But then she showed up at the township meeting on Thursday night. There are no further issues with the shed. It has been properly permitted,” McKelvey explained.
Smith also extensively questioned the supervisors about the right-of-way of Rainbow Drive. Supervisors explained that Rainbow Drive was a township road, but that the right-of-way was viable from 25-feet to 33-feet wide depending on the road curvature.
“It moves with the road,” Supervisor Dan Goldinger told Smith. “I know a lot of the older ones are 33 feet.”
Smith said that she had issues with one of the neighbors who she says claims the right-of-way area.
“He says I’m on his property all the time – that (Rainbow Drive) is his right-of-way. So something needs to be done by that too. And he needs to be put in his place and told that is not his road and that he doesn’t have the right to that.”
McKelvey said that in the past, there have been issues between her and the neighbors.
“Because of ongoing past issues, she wanted clarification of right-of-ways. I have had past dealings with Ms. Smith from the time that I took over as Zoning Officer,” McKelvey said, but chose not to disclose details.