Post by Admin on Aug 28, 2018 15:02:39 GMT -7
Horse Rescue Ranch Severely Damaged by Flooding and Road Equipment
Walter Wunsch - Thousands given to owner was a "loan"
Walter Wunsch - Thousands given to owner was a "loan"
Lisa and Dale Bush moved to Glastonbury in October of 2016, with the idea of caring for rescued animals. After researching several properties, Lisa and Dale chose a parcel on Capricorn Drive, where it intersects with Venus Way in North Glastonbury. The gently sloped land offered several pastures for horses, and room for their growing family. It seemed like a perfect spot to build shared lives, and raise a family in Paradise Valley. Lisa's dad was a rancher, and visited this area as early as the late 1950's.
Lisa has participated in many wildlife research projects, and has earned a master's and a PhD degree in Animal Sciences (Ethology/Zoology) from the University of Maryland. She was the former director for the Tri-State zoological Park Cumberland, Maryland. Currently, she owns and manages Park Your Paws at Furry Tail Retreat in Livingston.
Lisa Bush rescues animals and has a heart as big as Montana
In the summer of 2017, when the GLA graded and rolled Capricorn, one piece of GLA Contractor Mike Adkins’ heavy equipment had broken down. For quite some time, his malfunctioning machine was parked in the Bush's driveway, which runs parallel to the entire length of her sizable front yard. While waiting for repairs, the equipment leaked fluids that ran down their driveway, and soaked into it for about 100 feet. The front lawn also suffered damage.
Broken and leaking GLA contractor equipment is parked in the Bush's front yard.
A 100 foot leaked fluid stain is still visible in her driveway in August of 2018
In the Fall of 2017, the Glastonbury Landowner's Association (GLA), started to clean culverts that had been collecting debris for almost 20 years. One of the clogged culverts ended right in front of, and facing Bush's property. When this culvert was flushed out, thousands of gallons of water, mud and debris drained onto her property. The original developers of Glastonbury never connected that culvert to a natural drainage path that sits just a few hundred feet down on Capricorn Drive.
An open Capricorn Drive culvert drains runoff on to Bush's property
Lisa Bush had attended the October 9th, 2017 GLA Board meeting, and clearly voiced her concerns. The Board agreed to reimburse her $100.00 for the damaged bale of hay, but declined to accept responsibility for anything else. They asked the Road Committee to look into the matter and requested that the contractor fix the damaged driveway. The Road Committee did discuss the flooding problem and damaged driveway.
It had then been decided that a different contractor, Chad Standish, would be asked to fix the driveway when he commenced with the 2017 Fall Grading. Unexpectedly, winter came early and stayed late, so Fall Grading had to be postponed until the Spring of 2018. Thus, both the driveway and the culvert problems were not fixed.
March 2018 snow melt flowed into the Bush Rescue Ranch.
A medium sized stream formed in the upper pasture and impacted the horses health.
In early March of 2018, the heavy winter snows rapidly started to melt. Water washed down Venus Way, crossed Capricorn Drive, and created ponds and swift-flowing streams on the Bush’s property. As a result, electrical circuits were shorted, pastures were soaked, the driveway was badly eroded, building supplies were destroyed, and the horse pastures were left a muddy mess.
On March 9th, 2018, Lisa Bush promptly notified the GLA Board, sent photos of the flooding, and pleaded for help - her pleas were ignored, once again. When Spring Grading commenced in North Glastonbury in June of 2018, neither the flooding nor the damaged driveway problems were addressed.
A fast flowing river damages her driveway, stored building materials and electrical systems.
Lisa attended the August 13th, 2018 GLA Board meeting, and once again, asked for assistance. She patiently explained that it was almost a year since she first requested that the GLA fix the damages that they caused to her property. For far too long, these repairs had been neglected, causing her damage-related expenses that exceeded $8,000.00. Lisa asked the GLA Board to reimburse her and stated that she had contacted an attorney.
The floodwaters caused thousands of dollars in damage to the Bush property
The mention of lawsuits always gets the Board's rapt attention but does not guarantee any action. On August 20th, Lisa Bush’s attorney sent an official Demand Letter to the GLA, formally asking that the GLA reimburse Lisa for her flood and road equipment damage expenses.
On August 22nd, the subject of a demand letter was discussed at a GLA Road Committee meeting. President and Road Chair Dennis Riley casually remarked that, "People who live on dry lake beds should not complain when they get flooded.” Walter Wunsch mentioned that he visited Lisa Bush earlier in the week, and said that he had reached an agreement with her. Immediately following his claim, GLA Treasurer Regina Wunsch, who was present at the Road Committee meeting and apparently referencing GLA Board emails, said that Walter’s deal was now off.
Capricorn Drive lacks ditches and the under road culvert was never connected
to the natural drainage system. March 2018 photo.
Walter Wunsch, a member of the Road Committee, but not a GLA director, visited with Lisa and made several offers to her, conditioned upon her dropping her threat of a lawsuit. Walter offered to lend Lisa $2,500.00 to help pay her bills. It was not clear if the money was to come from him, or the GLA Board.
Walter also spoke of the open position for the GLA Administrative Assistant, and urged her to submit a resume. He stated that the GLA might be willing to fix the driveway, but he felt they would not reimburse her for flood damages. He used hard knuckle negotiating skills honed from decades of running his own business. Lisa refused his offers for both a loan and a board position.
Finally, she agreed to settle for $5,000.00, but only if the money was paid to her within 24 hours. Lisa explained that she had many bills to pay, and that she could not afford to fall behind. Lisa Bush then sent an email to the GLA Board, and copied it to her attorney stating that she agreed to Walter's settlement proposal for $5,000.00, and that it must be paid within 24 hours.
Lisa's daughter Victoria loves the rescue horses.
Twenty-four hours later, on August 24th, the negotiation period was over, and funds did not arrive from the GLA. Lisa reluctantly accepted a loan from Walter Wunsch for $2,500.00, so she could pay a apart of her $8,100.00 stack of bills generated by water flowing from GLA easements onto her property.
Lisa's daughter Isabelle loves the horses too and is very comfortable with them.
On Wednesday August 29th, the Forum asked Walter Wunsch if he was negotiating for the GLA with Lisa Bush. He adamantly denied that he was acting on behalf of the GLA. Then we asked him why he gave Lisa Bush thousands of dollars, and if he requested a signed letter from her promising that she would not sue the GLA. A long, 30-second silence enveloped the meeting room and a few gasps were heard. A visibly angry and embarrassed Wunsch stated that the $2,500.00 he gave Bush was a personal loan that he did not expect to be repaid. He did not answer our question about the signed letter request. His wife Regina was sitting nearby and was visibly distraught.
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