Hello Sick,

Off the top of my head, it sounds like speeding, noise, and driving on other people's lawns (yikes!) are all things the police would or could address. The appearance of the property is less easy to address. Condo associations can help in those situations if you're in a condo (I don't think you are). And some towns have ordinances that define nuisance property conditions. There aren't many towns with real stringent versions of those regulations. I don't know about East Windsor's at the moment.

However, calling the police is a fairly significant step if it's your first one. It's always best to wait and cool off before acting, particularly if you're angry about a recent incident.

Maybe you could tell me what you've tried so far with respect to opening the lines of communication with this neighbor? If you don't feel up to it, maybe there's another neighbor who could help or at least back you up. Maybe the First Selectman or one of the other selectmen? The zoning officer?

One thing you can do is create a relationship with these folks so that they actually care what you think. There's a family in my neighborhood who are kind of extra blue collar in the same vein you're describing. Motocross bikes, 4-wheelers, etc. They're not driving on people's lawns, but they did make some noise. (I can't get over that one - that a parent would allow a child to ride a motorbike across someone else's lawn... wow)

But without addressing my specific complaints about noise or speeding, I've managed to have several friendly conversations with these neighbors over the years. Just small talk and such. Just but developing a friendly relationship, without looking down my nose at them, now I think they kind of care about us as neighbors. It's quieter now. I don't think the kids use their bikes or the 4-wheeler around their house at all now. They must be going somewhere else, because I haven't seen or heard them in at least a year. Maybe you could approach them and just suggest that they ride off road, away from the neighborhood for starters. Are there any trails around?

Good luck. Keep me posted!