A MAN WITH A PLAN

 

             MARK WAS A BUILDING CONTRACTOR AND THOUGH MARK HAD A TEMPER THAT HAD GOTTEN HIM IN TO TROUBLE A FEW TIMES ,  HE GENERALLY GOT ALONG WITH PEOPLE.  MARK WAS ALSO A PERFECTIONIST IN HIS BUILDING , THINGS HAD TO BE HIS WAY AND JUST SO OR THE SUB-CONTRACTORS HEARD FROM HIM .A FEW OF THE SUB’S HAD QUITE MARK OVER THIS BUT MARK  FELT  GOOD RIDDANCE  . THIS WAS A NEWLY FORMED TOWN THAT MARK WAS STARTING FOUR HOUSES IN AND HE HAD ONE SOLD ONE ALREADY . HE HAD SUBMITTED HIS PLANS AND PAPERS THE SAME AS ALWAYS BUT MARK KNOW THAT WITH A NEW TOWN YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT . SURE ENOUGH THE FIRST HITCH WAS A TREE ORDINANCES  MARK HAD NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE . SO MARK HAD TO PUT DOWN ALL THE TREES ON THE PROPERTY ON HIS PLOT PLAN AND LIST ALL HE WAS TAKING DOWN . WHEN HE SUBMITTED THAT THERE WAS A BIG ARGUMENT BECAUSE THEY TOLD HIM HE WANTED TO TAKE DOWN TO MANY . TO WHICH MARK SAID WHERE DOES IT SAY HOW MANY I CAN TAKE DOWN ? THE REVIEW MA, SAID, I SAY HOW MANY . MARK LOOKED HIM IN THE FACE AND SAID WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE ? THE MAN SAID I’LL TELL YOU WHEN I WANT TO .  O.K. SAID MARK TELL ME ? THE MAN SAID WELL I SEE YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS MANY TREES DOWN TO GET THE HOUSES YOU HAVE PLANED ON THESE LOTS . SO I GUESS I’LL LET THAT GO . O.K. SAID MARK IS THAT IT ? OH NO HE SAID I DON’T SEE ANY PROVISION FOR STORM DRAINAGE ? MARK SAID WELL I ALWAYS DRAIN MY GUTTERS INTO A DRY WELL . THE EXAMINER SAID O.K. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE DRAINAGE OFF YOUR PROPERTY .

I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO DRAIN IT TO THE STREET SAID MARK .  NO NO THAT WON’T DO SAID THE  EXAMINER  WE NOW REQUIRE AN ENGINEERS PLAN TO TAKE CARE OF THE WATER ON YOUR PROPERTY , WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT IT’S BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE ALL THE WATER . THAT WILL COST ME  5 OR 600. DOLLARS SAID MARK  AND THAT WILL COME RIGHT OUT OF MY POCKET FOR THIS ONE I HAVE ALREADY SOLD BECAUSE THE PRICE HAS ALL READY BEEN SET ON THE CONTRACT . THAT’S NOT MY PROBLEM SAID THE MAN . MARK BY THIS TIME WAS GETTING VERY UPSET AND SAID I THINK IT IS YOUR PROBLEM . YOU SHOULD HAVE PUBLISHED THESE REQUIREMENTS SO I WOULD KNOW AHEAD OF TIME . THERE IS NOTHING REQUIRING US TO DO SO SAID THE EXAMINER , GETTING HUFFY HIMSELF . IS THAT ALL SAID MARK ? NO SAID THE MAN YOUR PLANS ARE INCOMPLETE , WE NEED A DETAIL OF THE STAIRWAY . WELL SAID MARK I HAVE THE DRAWING OF THEM HERE AND I LIST THE RISE AND TREAD AND SHOW  THE HORSES CUT OUT OF A TWO BY TEN WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT . WELL HE SAID THAT’S JUST A PICTURE , WE NEED A DETAILED DRAWING WITH DIMENSIONS . MARK SAID WHAT FOR IT’S ALL THERE NOW .? NO NO WE HAVE TO HAVE A DETAILED DRAWING . MARK THOUGHT FOR A WHILE THEN SAID YOU WANT ME TO PAY AND ENGINEER RIGHT . THAT WOULD BE BETTER    SAID THE MAN . YOU KNOW SOMETHING SAID MARK  “ I THOUGHT IF YOU COULD UNDERSTAND AN ENGINEERS DRAWING AS WELL AS THIS ONE , AND IN OTHER WORDS YOU WANT A LICENSED ARCHITECT AND AN ENGINEER . TO STAMP THESE . OH NO I CAN’T SAY THAT SAID THE MAN .  WELL SAID MARK I THINK YOU JUST DID ?  THE MAN SAID YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN JUDGMENT ON THAT  AND ALSO YOU WILL HAVE TO PUT UP A TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR BOND TO GUARANTEE  THAT YOU WILL FINISH THE HOUSES . ABOUT THIS TIME MARK WAS FIT TO BE TIED  AND SAID I HAVE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR TWENTY YEARS AND YOU GUY’S KEEP COMING UP WITH THESE CODES ALL THE TIME ,NEVER GIVING US A CHANCE OR NOTIFYING US AHEAD OF TIME AND I THINK YOU DO THIS TO JUST MAKE YOUR SELVES FEEL LIKE BIG SHOTS SO YOU SIMPLE CLICKS CAN LORD IT OVER US  CONTRACTORS . YOU KNOW IF I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THESE CODES BEFORE HAND WE WOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND YOU WOULD JUST BE A SIMPLE CLERK . THE CLERK  SAID I DON’T THINK THAT’S FAIR  I HAVE A JOB TO DO AND I WORK HARD AT IT .  YES SAID MARK AND YOU COULD CUT YOUR WORK IN HALF IF YOU JUST NOTIFIED THE CONTRACTORS

AHEAD OF TIME WHAT YOU WANT BUT I KNOW THAT SIMPLY IS NOT IN THE GOVERNMENTS VOCABULARY .ABOUT THIS TIME THE CLERK WALKED AWAY , HE DID NOT HAVE TO TAKE THAT FROM ANY ONE  . MARK WAS LEFT STANDING THERE  BERATING HIMSELF . MARK  KNOW HE SHOULD NOT HAVE TALKED THAT WAY BUT WHAT CAN A GUY DO ? THIS HAD LEFT THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE LOOKING AT HIM AND MARK WANTED TO SAY SOME THING BUT HE JUST FELT EMBARRASSED  AND COULD THINK OF NOTHING TO SAY THAT WOULD MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE SO HE GATHERED UP HIS PLANS AND WALKED OUT LIKE A BEATEN MAN . 

         WHEN MARK RETURNED TO THE PERMIT OFFICE HE HANDED ALL THE PLANS THEY HAD ASK FOR AND SAID I HOPE THIS DOES IT . A WOMAN LOOKED THEM OVER AN SAID YES I THINK THIS WILL BE ENOUGH NOW THAT WILL BE A  $500.00 PLAN CHECK FEE . OH ,OH ,OH GET A HOLD OF YOUR SELF MARK ???!!