With Jim going out of town this week, I really thought we had everything set to be really easy and straight forward with work being done on the cabin.
We made a really quick trip down to Manzanita on Saturday to deliver the pipe that the electrical wiring has to run through, and we were set for a quiet week....
When we got home, I went online and found a website for Blue Stakes - We figured before we have some guy dig through the road and lay pipe, maybe we should make sure there aren't any water lines or buried telephone cables for him to cut through... I found Blue Stakes and put in all the necessary information for Blue Stakes to come out and locate any buried utility lines. The web site says that when a time for them to show up is set, they'll send me an e-mail... I was good with that.
At 8:00 am on Monday morning, I get a call from Blue Stakes telling me that they can't go out to our property because, we don't have a physical address... I explain to the lady that there isn't a physical address because they isn't a cabin/home/place of residence there yet.. so, she just has to go with the lot number. She doesn't like that, and says that they just can't do it. I told her that we have already had the property Blue Staked before, so I know they can do it. She finally gives in and says she'll put the order through.
When I get to work, I have an e-mail from Blue Stakes telling me that it will be completed in 48 hours. I'm good with that.
About 30 minutes after that, I get another e-mail from some guy named Eric, telling me that if we are going to cut through the road, that we have to have a permit, and if we cut through the road and don't have a permit, we are breaking the law... I'm sitting there going... a permit.. we need a permit? And, who is this guy... The man wrote his name, but there was no address, telephone number, e-mail.. nothing...
So, I call back to Blue Stakes and ask if they know this guy - of course, they don't... But, the lady was super nice and said that maybe it was from the roads department. She gives me a number.
I call the number, and sure enough, this guy is from the road department. He says we have to have a permit, or we are breaking the law, and it is $100.00 a day if we are in violation. I'm having a small stroke at this point. The guy from the road department send me the forms, and on the forms it says that it's $25.00 for the application, and you have to secure a $500.00 bond, which they hold for a year in order to get the permit. And, of course, it all has to be paid in cash, and the application physically handed in.
I fill out the form, scan it in, send it to the guy, and tell him that I'm 3.5 hours away, and I flat can't make it there by end of business, so we can get this permit and have our contractor dig starting on Wednesday. About 3 minutes later, he sends me the signed permit via e-mail. Attached was a note, that he waived the $500.00 bond and the application fee, and if I would just send him a couple of pictures when it's done, he'd be happy... I was like... what?
With that done, I was somewhat confident that the electrical pipe was going to go in on Wednesday...
This morning, at 8:00am, I get a call from a guy from... the water department. He starts out, all in a twist, telling me that he's sick of people just digging up the road and hitting the water lines, and we just can't do that... I explain to him, that I have the permit, that I called Blue Stakes, and we have the guy with the backhoe to dig the trench... He says, "Well, is this guy a contractor"? I tell him that he is, he asks his name, and apparently knew the guy... but, the Water Department guy is still going on and on and on about people digging through his water lines... I finally say to the guy, "Now, tell me exactly what else I'm supposed to do?" He says, "Well, nothing.. you did it right." I was like... um.. then why are you yelling at me?
I called Jim, told him to tell the contractor dude what is going on, and send him a copy of the permit.
I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring... makes me nervous..
Cheri
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