Despite a sign noting “No Thru Traffic,” Dubois Drive resident Dan Vanderpool said his property value is suffering because of this private road.

Traffic problems along Dubois Drive and a private drive installed by The Pill Box Pharmacy continue to plague Dan Vanderpool, who came to the city last night saying, “I’m trying my best to prevent a tragedy.”

Vanderpool lives in the only remaining home along Dubois Drive. It is next to The Pill Box and for months he has asked both store owner Greg Winn and the Warsaw Common Council to do something to protect his property. Since the private drive was put in for the purpose of serving customers of the pharmacy who had trouble accessing the business when the city made part of Dubois Drive a one-way street, Vanderpool has been plagued with problems.

In addressing the council again last night, Vanderpool said the general public uses that private drive and he has counted from 500 to 800 vehicles per day – including weekends when the business isn’t even open. Already dealing with the constant traffic and loss of privacy (see related), he said he now deals with teenagers trespassing through his yard and he fears being burglarized.

“I keep firearms in my home,” said Vanderpool. “If I find someone in my home in the middle of the night, I’m not going to ask for their ID, I’m going to shoot them … I’m trying my best to prevent a tragedy here.”

In October, Bill and Greg Winn approached the Warsaw Traffic Commission asking the city to revisit the one-way road designation. The Winns say their business has noticed a decline in customers simply because the pharmacy and home medical supply business is no longer easily accessible.

Vanderpool has given up on getting assistance from the city or the Winns in protecting his property, so his mission Monday night was to ask city leaders to force councilwoman Elaine Call to recuse herself from any votes dealing with the private drive. Vanderpool said Call is part of a trust that controls the property off of Parker Street, where the Winns private drive is installed. “There was a clear conflict of interests,” he added.

Vanderpool is taking his problem to the Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals where he plans to seek an exception to erect a privacy fence at his property line bordering that owned by The Pill Box. The problem is, the fence will need to be 18 feet to 20 feet tall, which is far beyond what is acceptable by city code, and Call is the council’s liaison to the WBZA.

“This fence will be exceedingly expensive … however, it makes no sense to get a bid for a fence before it is approved,” he said. “I ask that the mayor and the rest of the Common Council insist that Ms. Call recuse herself through whatever procedure is appropriate.”

Mayor Joe Thallemer said Call, who was absent from last night’s meeting, has asked to be taken off of her appointment as the city’s liaison to the WBZA so said there should be no issues with his request.

Following the city meeting, city planner Jeremy Skinner told StaceyPageOnline.com that an engineering study on traffic within the entire medical park is being planned. Skinner is now getting estimates on what the study would cost and will seek financial support of businesses within the medical park to complete the study. He hopes to start the study by the end of January.