The one-way stretch of road on Dubois Drive was the topic of discussion at the Warsaw Traffic Commission meeting Wednesday, and that comes as somewhat of troubling news to one private resident who says his property value has been diminished because of changes made by The Pill Box Pharmacy.

According to Warsaw Police Department Lt. Kip Shuter, who serves as administrator of the traffic commission, Bill Winn and his son, Greg Winn, who own and operate pharmacy on Dubois Drive, are asking the city to look at traffic alternatives. They said their business has suffered losses and cited the inconvenience of the one-way road as the reason.

In the spring, the Winns paid to have a private drive put in for the convenience of their customers. The drive is not meant to be for public use, but Dan Vanderpool said an average of 30 vehicles per hour use the road, and he stopped counting at 300 vehicles that used the drive on a recent Sunday. “They aren’t open on Sunday, and the other ones I’m talking about aren’t going there,” he explained. “The ones that pull in there and actually go in, I don’t count those. And traffic is constant on Saturdays and Sundays. I’ve even seen the police using that as a through street.”

Vanderpool said when he bought his home three years ago the traffic was not an issue. “Had I known what was going to happen, I never would have bought here. I can’t sleep with my bedroom window open anymore because of the traffic and the headlights, and I can’t enjoy my deck because of the traffic.” He added, “This (home) is all I have and that road is causing unexpected problems at all hours of the day and night.”

Vanderpool said he has spoken with Greg Winn on at least two occasions asking him to be a “good neighbor” and pay for a 60-foot privacy fence to be installed along the curb. “He said they paid $8,000 for landscaping along the back to protect those property owners, but he wasn’t going to put up a fence for me. I felt really talked down to and disrespected,” said Vanderpool.

A directional arrow has been covered over by the city, but Dan Vanderpool said it has not stopped vehicles from accessing a private road.

Adding to the problem, according to Vanderpool, was that the city had painted a turn arrow on Dubois Drive directing traffic to the private drive. Upon his request, the city, about one month ago, attempted to remove that directional arrow and even installed a “No Thru Traffic” sign, but so far he said neither has helped.

Vanderpool has spent $3,500 on an attorney who has told him that Indiana law prevents property owners from doing anything on their property to cause harm to neighbors, but said he does not have the money to fight the Winns. “I just want them to be good neighbors … but I feel like I’m being bullied,” said Vanderpool.

In the traffic commission meeting, Lt. Shuter said the Winns proposed two options for resolving what they see as only a loss of business. No mention of Vanderpool’s complaint was ever made.

Although discussion took place, Lt. Shuter said the traffic commission ultimately does not have the authority to make changes. He said the matter will be discussed in a meeting between the Winns, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer and city planner Jeremy Skinner.

Despite the sign, Dan Vanderpool said hundreds of motorists violate the use of a private drive at The Pill Box Pharmacy every day.The two options proposed by the Winns were to extend Provident Drive to include the existing portion of the private drive that connects to Parker Street and allow the currently used road to be used as a two-way street.

The second option they proposed would call for Dubois Drive to again be utilized as a two-way street from the west side of The Spectacle Shoppe and create another one-way street beginning at Dubois Drive between The Spectacle Shoppe and The Pill Box and connecting to Parker Street south of the gas station.

Vanderpool is the only resident along Dubois Drive and, while he doesn’t mind the one-way portion of the road, he said the Winns first proposal to extend Provident Drive will only make matters worse for him. “If the city takes over the road, then I guess I’m screwed and just out $3,500 because you can’t sue the city,” he said. “I wish I never would have bought this place. Had I known what they were going to do, I never would have considered buying it … and who is going to want to buy this now?”

Vanderpool also said he is not opposed to keeping Dubois Drive the way it is, he only wants the Winns to put up a fence. “They caused this, they should have to pay for it,” he explained. “No one is inconvenienced by the one-way street more than me. I have to drive the furthest to get to Parker Street, but that doesn’t bother me. All the traffic using what is supposed to be a private drive is the problem. It’s destroying my property value.”