How to Solve a Problem

Have you ever noticed an overgrown lawn, full of tall weeds, making all the houses around it look poor? Have you ever wondered if you made a huge mistake by buying your home that is now underwater? Have you ever thought, “I am so tired of living in this neighborhood, I wish I could move.”? Have you ever been embarrassed to invite friends to your home because they will have to drive down narrow streets, packed with cars, knowing when your friends arrive, they will have no place to park?  

Does someone in your neighborhood run a business with big work trucks taking up “your” parking space? Are you frustrated by your low property values when you have invested so much time and money in your home? Do your neighbors drive you crazy with their gazillion relatives, the multiple satellite dishes sprouting from roof tops like mushrooms, and six large trash cans left at the curb day in and day out? Do the barking dogs, screaming children and people throwing trash and litter in the street make you want to pull your hair?

If you answered “yes” to any one of those questions, I want to ask you one more: Have you ever made a complaint to the Prince William County Police or Neighborhood Services, Property Code Division for any of those things I listed?

I’ve worked as a volunteer for my community since 2006. I was trained with a group of other Neighborhood Leaders to help care for my community. We are the people who are determined to stop deteriorating neighborhoods and build better relationships with neighbors. You may think what your neighbors do or how they live does not affect you, but I assure you, it does. One horrible house on your block makes everyone else look bad and lowers your property values.

Over the years, we continue to help residents learn to care for their community along with us. The number one solution to neighborhood concerns is to talk to your neighbor. If that doesn’t work, the next step up is to contact PCE (Property Code Enforcement) or occasionally, the police department for parking violations, inoperable vehicles on the street and noise violations. For police, you call the non-emergency number: 703 792 6500. For PCE, you can use the online complaint form.

Sometimes, even that process doesn’t seem to work. We hear so many complaints alleging nothing is done about resident’s concerns that Delegate Rich Anderson has graciously offered to host a town hall meeting to help us sort out a solution.

The assumption on our part is that Neighborhood Services and the police are doing everything they can do under the current laws. If that assumption is correct, the current laws must not be sufficient to provide residents with the solutions they desire.

We’d like you to join us on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. in the Occoquan Room at the County Center and help us determine what needs done to improve our level of satisfaction and create a better appearance one would expect to find in the 9^th most affluent county in the United States.

Looking forward to seeing you next weekend!