Planning a Party in Bluffton? Beware ...

April 2, 2006

It was an unsuspecting Sunday morning, the birds were singing and all was right with the world. Today I was hosting a baby shower and looking forward to celebrating. I had been working for months to make sure everything was just right and by noon, the house was overflowing with people. We ate, we drank and we were merry. And then, the tables turned!

Our guests had started to leave and we noticed that one of them was walking back and forth on the street. We asked her if everything was ok and, it wasn’t. Her car had been towed.

Yes, one of my lovely neighbors didn’t like that a car was parked in front of her house so she called the Bluffton Police. The Police verified that the car wasn’t stolen and it did not belong to any other immediate neighbors, and after my “neighbor” promised to pay the towing costs (which she later denied), the Police issued an Event Number (which helps them keep track of the crazies who call – my words, not their’s), not a Case Number because nothing illegal had actually occurred.

My neighbor then called a towing company who towed the car that was parked (legally) on the street for less than two hours. Hmmm, you can do that? My first reaction was that the towing company just stole a car!

Four hours and a dozen phone calls later and I have some answers, but I have even more questions!

This was not the fault of our POA; in fact, at the time of the incident our covenants did not state that parking on the street is illegal. So, who is at fault?

Is it the Towing Company, who responded to my neighbor? My neighbor, after all, had an Event Number, which is all the Towing Company needs to do their job and ensure that they aren’t charged with grand theft auto. Preston at Pro Tow (on Burnt Church Road) was a real trooper in answering my questions and even offered to amend the bill once I sort this all out. (I’m not there yet Preston, but I do appreciate the offer!)

Is it the Bluffton Police Department? They issued the Event Number to my neighbor to act if she wanted to. But, can we expect the Police Department to know the ins and outs of every POA in Bluffton? I think not. (Thank you Officer Murray and Officer Creason for fielding my many questions and my numerous phone calls.)

Is it our neighbor who missed the Being a Good Neighbor 101 class? (And will probably toilet paper my yard this evening.) Do we now fear ever having company since our guest’s cars may be towed?

Is it the developers who are aggressively building new community after new community – following the narrower the street, the more houses you can squeeze in mantra?

Or is it our town’s planning commission who approved a community with a sub-par infrastructure (narrow streets) in place?

Is this a problem without a solution? I don’t know. But I do know that this will spark some lively debate. So, let’s talk about it. What is the answer?

Or, if you are bored, annoyed with your neighbor, or just a pain in the #$%, you may want to make sport of the newest game in town. Call the cops, have a car towed, have a great day!