PLEASANT GARDEN, N.C. — Ava Moore slowly maneuvers her car down the muddy driveway that connects Spur Road with her home. The long driveway is a muddy mess, and several sections are covered with water.
“It’s awful, trying to get in and out of my home,” Moore said.
The home and the surrounding property have been in her family for almost 100 years. Another home on the property was recently sold and the new owners have been changing the home and the landscaping.
“I think they are trying to fix something in that house and moving the dirt,” Moore said.
Whatever the new owners are doing seems to have had a negative impact on the flow of water following some rainstorms. The driveway is now often soaked or flooded after a storm. The gravel that Moore put down several years has now been washed away.
“It wasn’t cheap, my gravel guy is mad,” Moore said.
Moore said she has tried to speak with the owner but apparently no one is living there while the work is being done. She tried to pull some records and communicate with the people working on the property but still couldn’t find the new owners.
The new owners tried to slow the flow of water over the driveway, but it didn’t stop the problem entirely. A decent storm would flood the driveway and turn the road into a mud pit for at least two to three days.
“It would be mud all over my car and everything,” Moore said.
After dealing with the issue for several months, Moore had enough and called our News 2 Call for Action team.
“I had no other options,” Moore said.
In most cases like this, the dispute would be a civil matter and must be handled through the legal system. However, we decided to reach out to officials with the city of Pleasant Garden and Guilford County.
County officials went out to the property and tracked down the owner. The owner was not only made aware of the issue with flooding but was also notified about other issues on the property and the required permits needed.
About two or three weeks after we reached out to County officials, Moore called to let us know the owner had changed course on some of the landscaping that was going on and improved the grade of the land to eliminate the flow of water pouring onto the driveway.
The owner also purchased additional gravel that had washed away and put it down on the driveway.
“I truly thank you, thank News 2 and you also,” Moore said.
These days the driveway remains mud free even after a heavy storm.