Gardeners from Gargždi disagree about the well on the street

The well located in Gargždai, in the “Minija” gardeners’ association, on the Šaltiniel path, has been fueling disagreements among plot owners for years. For some, the well is necessary, for others it is an obstacle to safe traffic, etc. A resident addressed the editorial office of “Banga” (name and surname are known to the editorial office) and outlined several problems related to the above-mentioned well. We asked the chairman of the association, Darijaus Urbė, whether it is possible to solve them.
Ne viena problema
“The well located in the driving part of the street in the “Minijos” gardeners’ association, on Šaltinėlis path, primarily obstructs traffic. Cars cannot pass in that place, it is difficult to grade the street and clear snow for cars. A resident’s minibus is constantly parked behind the well, and below it there is a stain of pollutants, so the environment is being polluted,” a resident of Šaltinėlis takos explained the problems in the editorial. According to the woman, the lid of the well is broken, and in winter she had to see children sitting on the snow. “Shall we wait for a disaster to happen?” the woman asked rhetorically. According to the resident, there were problems with the well, and when they started to wonder if cadastral measurements of the Šaltinelis trail could be carried out, so that in the future, gardeners’ streets could be handed over to the supervision of the Municipality. The well, as a building, is not registered, it does not belong to any plot, so the surveyors just shrugged their shoulders, because they do not know how to measure. “If it is not possible to remove that well, then maybe it can be replaced with a water pump?” – wondered the resident who addressed the editorial office. She mentioned that the problems are also known to the chairman of the gardeners’ association “Minija” D. Urbe.
Gina does her best
Last week, while photographing the well on the Šaltinelis trail, we had to hear the position of its defenders. “For those of us who live here, the well does not interfere, but for 20 years it probably does for those who live at the beginning and end of the street or in other streets,” said Algirdas, the owner of the house in front of the well. According to the man, if there is sometimes no centrally supplied water, well water is used by gardeners to irrigate gardens, but it is also suitable for food, as it has been tested in a laboratory.
Kęstutis, who lives here, also came out to defend the well: “If you don’t tear down the well, I will change the lid myself.” Soon his wife also appeared. “People have been fetching water for years, we gather at that well, water even comes from other streets,” said the woman and wondered what happened to their old well. Although it is not personal property, Algirdas assured that it does not matter, he will not allow it to be demolished: “What difference does it make that it is not personal, it is an ancient well, let it be, 20 years have passed, everyone has led, led, everyone has fit in, everyone has fit in.” to the neighbors, another defender of the well appeared. Staggering and waving something like a metal drawer, the man may have been annoyed that he was late for the “meeting”, so while taking pictures, he cut the well bluntly: “Well, what, bl… you’re looking for problems. I knocked down the well?..” However, the topic of the well was not discussed with the ardent water lover. “Go to the yard, piece of pie”, – this is how the man, who was invited by the woman, seemed to get his bearings and clicked where he was being invited.
You have to agree with each other
It turns out that the well has been disturbing the peace of Šaltinelis taka residents for many years. The signatures collected by both his defenders and opponents also reached D. Urbė, the chairman of the gardeners’ association “Minija”. “People are no longer willing to talk and solve the problem. Some are against it in principle, although they understand that the well is not needed. People are getting older, it is becoming more and more difficult to drag garbage containers to street intersections, because it is impossible for a heavy-duty vehicle to reach the plots. In order to solve this problem, efforts are being made to prevent the existence of this well,” said the chairman of the association in the “Banga” editorial. The association of gardeners was founded in 1974. The well, which is older than “Minija”, according to D. Urbė, who has been managing the community for six years, was useful for a while, but after the installation of a centralized irrigation system, it became unnecessary. “It’s a roadblock. It makes it difficult to grade the road and clear snow in winter. Those who understand want the well to be abolished,” said the chairman of the association. Although most of the population uses tap water for food, some explain that they drink from a well. “There is always a car parked next to the well, so people really don’t drink that water, although nothing forbids them to do so.” Water tests were carried out last summer in the Klaipėda department of the National Public Health Care Laboratory. It is not specified that the well cannot be operated, that it must be demolished, therefore a consensus of the residents of the Šaltinėlis trail, the owners of the plots, is needed so that they are not dissatisfied”, explained D. Urbė.
A vote may be required
The question about the well was also raised at the general meeting of the “Minija” gardeners’ association. It was considered to move the part of the well above the ground, to put a reinforced concrete cover with a hatch so that, if someone wanted, they could draw water. What if someone falls in while scooping? So the decision was not made. “If we were to install a water pump, who would take care of it: it should be installed in summer and removed before winter.” In addition, the pump would also remain on the road, – the chairman appreciated the proposal. “The success would be for the gardeners to come to an agreement and the street would become permeable, which means there would be no more well.” D. Urbė is convinced that the long-standing problem will have to be solved, because otherwise the measurements of the street will not be carried out. It is possible that the residents of Šaltiniels Path will be offered to vote on the fate of the unregistered well, and in order not to be intimidated by the unfriendly looks of the neighbors, the voting may be secret.
Rita Rapalienė, adviser of the Public Relations and Cooperation Department of the Klaipėda District Municipality Administration, who is the head of the department, explained: “The activities and management of gardeners’ associations are regulated by the Law on Gardeners’ Associations. Therefore, whether the well located there is necessary for public needs should be decided by the community. Therefore, this issue should be addressed to the chairman of the association. If the car is left in the wrong place, it is necessary to contact the police, and if it is suspected that environmental pollution is possible – to the Gargžda Environmental Protection Department of the Klaipėda Board of the Department of Environmental Protection.”
Laima ŠVEISTRYTĖ