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“The Wall Comes Down” – Good Fences Don’t Necessarily Make Good Neighbors, Part IV

It seems the end is nigh for the Thetford, Vermont zoning dispute involving the 60-foot-by-24-foot partition erected by Ruth Dwyer to block her view of her neighbor, Patrick Perry’s house.  She objected to seeing her neighbors mow their lawn, the light from their television, and children playing basketball, claiming that the activities offend her sensibilities and upset her farm animals.

We last we checked in, the dispute was headed to mediation as the fines levied on Dwyer by the Town had reached $26,000 and continued to grow.  Now, Dwyer has agreed to remove the wall as part of a comprehensive settlement which includes the Town’s agreement to waive the fines that have already accumulated.  She has until November 1 to remove the wall, after which the Town will begin fining her $200 a day if it remains standing.

Apparently not one to give up, Dwyer is exploring other options to block her view of her neighbors’ home, including “a solar array, a pole barn for hay storage and a 9- to 10-foot-high ‘privacy screen that adequately blocks the television-light pollution emanating across the road.’”

For the full story, see the Valley News story.