Parking violations ‘Lures’ in complaints [Capital (Annapolis, MD)]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ever want someone to growl on your behalf? The Watchdog wants to know about your consumer dilemmas and civic complaints. Each week she'll select one of your issues, take a bite through the red tape of bureaucracy, and bark up the trees of local government, institutions and businesses. Where there's a remedy, reason or recourse, there's The 'Dog.

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The signs along Generals Highway in front of Lures Bar and Grill are clear.

No stopping at any time, they warn motorists.

But no one seems to pay attention, Jerry Powers complained to the Watchdog.

"Cars regularly park there weeknights and especially on weekend evenings," Powers wrote in an email to the 'Dog. "I've nearly hit several people as they exit their vehicles or walk along the shoulder in this area between parked vehicles and the roadway."

It would be great if the police could ticket or tow these scofflaws, he said.

"I believe, and obviously the state or county believes, that parking along this stretch of highway can create a traffic hazard," Powers wrote. "Otherwise the signs would not have been posted there."

The Watchdog followed the scent of the problem up to Lures, where manager Kali Knowles said customers complain constantly about a lack of parking at the restaurant, which forces them onto the highway.

It got to be such a problem, she said, that restaurant managers circulated a petition over the summer in support of asking the county to extend the parking lot.

"We had a ridiculous amount of people sign the petition," Knowles said. "There were so many complaints from residents in the area."

The restaurant is in the final stages of getting its permits, and the larger parking lot should improve the situation, she said. The plan is to add 80 to 100 spaces by summer.

Knowles said police officers do ticket offenders, but usually come into the restaurant first and warn people.

"They're pretty nice about it," she said.

County police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said the staff at Lures has been cooperative.

"The business has also received assistance from nearby Sonny's Lounge, who has provided extra parking for them, and carpooling has also been suggested until parking gets expanded," Mulcahy said.

A lesson learned

Sometimes it takes the Watchdog a while to chew through all of the complaints that land in her doggie dish, and in the meantime, some problems resolve themselves.

Several weeks ago, Annapolis resident Jody Thomas contacted The Capital to complain about her difficulties in getting an insurance payout after Hurricane Irene knocked three trees into her home in August. The damages totaled more than $40,000.

Her insurance company, Erie Insurance, told her that representatives were getting so many calls that it would be weeks before a claims adjuster could visit her property. The company advised her to pay for emergency repairs and hold onto all the necessary documentation so she could get reimbursed.

But it took about two months, and Thomas and her husband had to navigate a maze of red tape just to get their money back. Erie sent a check in October, payable to the couple and to their mortgage company. The holdup, Thomas explained, came after she forwarded a copy of the check to the mortgage company, which wouldn't accept it. Then it wanted more documentation, including tax forms from the contractors who did all of the work.

"They made us jump through hoops," she said.

Thomas said the only thing that seemed to speed up the process was a call she made to the office of U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, D- Baltimore County.

A little irony: Thomas is the vice president of communications for the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, so she deals with consumer complaints for a living. She's just rarely on the other end of them.

"People have to be their own advocate, because no one is going is going to educate you on the process," Thomas told the Watchdog.

Her take, and the 'Dog's as well - hold onto all of your paperwork in situations like this, even if some of it doesn't seem that important.

And hound away.

Critical complaint

In June, Crownsville resident Joe Hejl contacted the Watchdog with concerns over tree removal on his neighbor's property. He said at least 50 trees had been removed over the last seven years, all from the Critical Area.

Hejl had repeatedly written to officials with the county's Department of Inspections and Permits, but got nowhere.

The 'Dog called Inspections and Permits and the Critical Area Commission, and officials with both told her that the landowner had permission to cut down those trees.

Hejl still didn't believe them.

After reading a story in The Capital a few weeks ago on County Councilman John Grasso's plans to clean up area creeks with fountains, Hejl contacted the Glen Burnie Republican. Grasso complained to Inspections and Permits Director Ron Hubbard, and Hubbard sent the property owner a letter telling him that while he may have been allowed to clear the trees before, that approval expired in April.

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Email your complaints to Allison Bourg at [email protected] or call her at 410-280-5922. Remember to leave your name and daytime phone number, and she'll get back to you as soon as possible.