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Treehouse - Wow what a story.

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by afgm, Apr 6, 2012.

  1. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    Thanks for the replies to my question. I did not know there were alternatives presented already and don't understand completely why it wouldn't be in discussion, but that's for Dad to address himself.

    My comments relating to conformity were geared towards the statements regarding precedence and having to accommodate similar requests for similar structures in order to permit this girl her tree-house. Admittedly, I'm a dreamer and think in idealistic terms, and don't see what the big deal is overall - the girl has a long and arduous journey in front of her. A relatively small window of happiness at this time in her life, gained from having her palace in the sky, seems to be a reasonable and worthwhile compromise (and yes..if it were perched up behind my house I would be more than willing to accept it). To anyone who b*****s about it: just ask them to swap places, I'm sure anyone in their shoes be more than willing to give up a tree-house to have the ability to enjoy the rather nice amenities and schools this community offers in the same fashion as the 'other 99%'.

    Why would a special exception to leave it as-is be so out-of-bounds? After all, this is a young girls life - not some row of quasi-condo buildings mucking up property values - that we are talking about. Rhetorical question, not really looking for an answer. There's no answer to be had here.

    I do respect your efforts as members of the board, I don't envy your jobs, hell, I couldn't even perform your jobs. But, speaking as someone who is also dealing with that scenario, the 'Needs of the Many' really hoses things up for those not in the many times...but that's life, same game - different day - same result.
     
  2. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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  3. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    no, i dont believe you can 'appreciate' the 'added challenge' unless you do so on a daily basis (and from your self-righteous tone I don't believe that's the case at all). I find your (amongst others) attitude and non chalant 'tough break' attitude and commentary particularly sad & thoughtless, and genuinely hope its not reflective of the majority of our community. It's attitudes and close-minded opinions like yours that make it difficult for these kids to get the resources they need in life. It's not your problem to solve, the rules work well for you and the voting majority so go enjoy it... Peace.
     
  4. Emerson

    Emerson New Member

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    I agree with Curtis. Also, the treehouse is better suited for our neighborhood than a hospital. Peace out!
     
  5. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    Are you not the "pot calling the kettle black?" This was exactly redon's point. You have no idea the challenges redon or anyone faces on a daily basis - yet you felt it perfectly okay to attack her character, which, by the way, lends credibility to her argument.
     
  6. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    'pot calling the kettle black'? Are you kidding me? How many meetings do you or Redon sit in with LCPS officials trying to get effective educational resources for your child, charting out an 'hourly resorce allotment' per week so they have a shot at acquiring a decent education then have to ship them away from their own neighborhood schools to get those resources. To hear 'regardless of the situation they [everyone with this] are beholden to the same rules as the rest of us' is an affront to anyone who has to parent an autistic child an a disservice to anyone whose had to fight to get those resources. We all have our reasons for thinking, feeling, or saying... mine is simply to reach out and say 'why not give the girl her treehouse?' and illustrate some of the personal challenges being faced that weren't being highlighted. I'm curious, what are your motivations behind the 'entitlement syndrome' soapbox rhetoric? Hard to imagine that people actually want to be free to pursue their own liberties outside of government intervention, especially in a country like this... I would expect any govt entity to be kept in check and glad to see that the board stepped up to the plate on this and didn't hide behind a veil of silence.
     
  7. Audrey

    Audrey Member

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    The Modifications Subcommittee just about said, not in so many words, that they WOULD give the girl her treehouse if her dad could compromise on the size of it. The dad threw the tantrum and took it down without using the community's appeals process, basing his decision on an unofficial discussion on an anonymous message board. He flat out refused to 'play by the rules' which he signed his agreement to when he bought a house here. This is not a matter of whether or not a child with autism is more deserving than anyone else, is it simply a matter of a dad's unwillingness to follow any of the rules he agreed to. Thank goodness everyone in the community doesn't act like that.
     
  8. mtkeister

    mtkeister New Member

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    All,

    So much energy and involvement over Alyssa's tree house! Way beyond what I imagined...

    As the one that started this issue in the first place, I'd like to attempt to bring closure with these items:

    1. Alyssa's dad (me) built her a special place in a large Cherry tree in our woefully undersized backyard.
    2. It was outrageously oversized and high enough for her to kiss the sky. A special place for a special person.
    3. Special is a good thing - always. Conformity to what everyone else is doing is going to kill this nation - just wait and see.
    4. There are rules governing what a homeowner in Broadlands can do with his yard, which is not really his exclusive property.
    5. Dad did not follow these rules as proscribed and the governing body of BHOA sent notice to dad of this fact
    6. BHOA offered to accept an application for modification retroactively, which was a generous offer
    7. After reviewing the subsequent application for work already completed, the modifications subcommittee denied the application
    8. Since the structure was already built, the letter that dad received also stated the structure needed to be removed by May 31, 2012
    9. Dad decided to immediately bring the entire issue into the light by starting a petition and posting a forum thread
    10. Dad stated the matter in factual terms from his and his daughters viewpoint, admittedly with inadequate consideration given to BHOA
    11. However, Dad never ever intended to discredit the BHOA or the work it does. Still don't.
    12. After much consideration, Dad decided the issue was worthy for the local news so he did indeed contact LTM with the idea of a story
    13. At no time was the story about BHOA - it was about a girl named Alyssa, a dad who wanted to give her his best, and the realities and constraints of modern life in NoVa.
    14. In the mean time, Dad finally woke up completely from his dream, and attended to the realities. The tree house he built was too big and wrongly placed.
    15. Rather than dragging through an appeal process, Dad exercised his right of decision and decided there was no compromise point with the existing build
    16. Dad indicated he was withdrawing his appeal and would be removing the structure. He also asked for an extension on the date of removal from May to Sept, which was denied
    17. The LTM runs the story - they did not fairly represent BHOA and this is regrettable.
    18. Seeing the LTM article brought out a lot of responses and vitriol - I believe there is a tension here beyond Alyssa's tree house that is behind it!
    19. Dad and Alyssa have moved on. We are hopeful that a more modest design will be approved and plan to submit this to BHOA.

    Footnote: As I said, I wanted Alyssa's story to get out to the local community because she and those like her matter... but I never intended for the people who volunteer for BHOA to come under
    attack. Unbelievable as it may sound, I could have extended this story to the entire region easily - Washington Post and NBC 4 contacted me two weeks ago. And Wisdom Martin from Fox 5 News was knocking
    on my door last night! I told him there is no story and that we would be removing the existing structure and reapplying with a more modest proposal.

    Thanks BHOA for what you do to keep our community a great place to live. One of my mottos is "One can only extend one's limitations by exceeding them", so I can't promise that I won't present a challenge
    to the modifications subcommittee in the future. But I do promise to abide by the rules next time around...
     
  9. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Great story - thanks for sharing.

    Amazing the tale when others don't muddy the story with hate and sensationalism.
     
  10. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Mr Keister,

    Thank you for the succient wrap-up (and I do hope it concludes the "hostilities" within the community).
    And considering the original structure, I cannot wait (in a good way) to see what you submit for approval to the Mod-Sub!
     
  11. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Wisdom Martin interviewed me yesterday. Didn't see the story on the news, so maybe your refusal to participate killed the story.
     
  12. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    Sounds like this story is ending exactly how it should have.
     
  13. Audrey

    Audrey Member

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    Mr. Keister, that's an awesome response. I'm so glad to hear you're planning to rebuild a structure within the system. I personally hope for the best for your family.
     
  14. BzyCookn

    BzyCookn New Member

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    Me too! And please know, there are other moms and dads in the neighborhood who are raising autistic children, too. Please don't ever feel like you are alone in this. I would be happy to lend an ear or a shoulder, as I know how important community support is. Alyssa is a very lucky girl! Best of luck to you and your family.
     
  15. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    All, I would like to apologize for my earlier outbursts, especially to mdcrim, redon, and ktdid. My feedback was quite harsh and, after re-reading a few times, some of it unjustified considering the different contexts in which we were speaking. I have no excuse for it - I just get a bit hot when kids are in focus during these 'debates', and the fact that autism was a factor really kicked the afterburners on. I immediately associated that struggle and felt that part was being trampled on, glossed over, dismissed, etc... To be fighting over a relatively minor HOA violation given the situation was unfathomable to me, but that's just me.

    *I do stand by my sentiments on the need for special considerations for these kids, and the sub-committee has shown that they are there to do just that as needed. Mr. Keister, good luck on treehouse rev 2.0, hopefully it brings just as much pleasure to her as he first one did.

    Curtis
     

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