Columnist Jeff German: For Jim and Ed, the truck stops here

Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 | 11:28 a.m.

Jim Ludwick and Ed Krizewicz are two neighbors who share a common goal of wanting to protect their quiet residential area, which sits in the shadow of the bustling truck stop at Blue Diamond Road and Interstate 15.

Ludwick, a 55-year-old ironworker, and Krizewicz, a 72-year-old retired Chicago firefighter, don't have much political juice. They're average citizens who, for the past six years, have had a tough time getting Clark County officials to address their concerns.

They've been fighting the county bureaucracy to rid their neighborhood of the disruptive and unlawful presence of tractor trailers.

Their neighborhood, a half-mile north of Blue Diamond Road between Industrial Road and Valley View Boulevard, is typical of many areas on the outskirts of the fast-growing metropolitan area. There are no tract homes. The roads are narrow and not always paved. And there is vacant desert land in abundance.

Ludwick and Krizewicz say they're tired of watching huge trucks taking short cuts through the neighborhood on their way to the truck stop. They're also tired of seeing semi-trailers parked for long periods of time on streets and in the desert. And they don't understand why county officials haven't worked harder to crack down on neighbors who park big trucks on their own property.

The trucks create traffic hazards, tear up the roads, kick up unhealthful dust and are all-around eyesores.

From Krizewicz's front yard you can see eight tractor-trailer cabs lined up in a row on the property of one of his neighbors just two blocks away.

Over the years Ludwick and Krizewicz, armed with photos documenting their concerns, have filed countless complaints with officials. Both County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, who represents the area, and the county's Public Response Office have thick files on their cases. The two men also have lodged complaints with Metro Police and the county's Public Works Department.

As they have fought through red tape, they sometimes have gotten swift responses. But most of the time they haven't, often finding themselves shuffled back and forth between agencies looking to duck responsibility for enforcing the code that bans trucks in neighborhoods.

"All they've done is throw us a bone here and there," Krizewicz says. "Nothing ever changes."

At times Ludwick and Krizewicz even have felt harassed. Last August, for example, after they filed a complaint with a county public response officer, they both were cited the next day for minor violations on their own property.

Ludwick was cited for having a couple of dog houses in front of his home, and Krizewicz was slapped for putting up a metal carport that didn't conform to building codes.

"They want us to give up, but we won't," Ludwick says.

Adds Krizewicz: "We pay taxes here. We're entitled to the same services as the people in Spanish Trail."

So they continue fighting.

And this week they may have good news.

The county has a new code enforcement chief, Joe Boteilho, who's determined to streamline the complaint process and get results.

"Our goal is to make the code enforcement more effective so citizens don't have to endure these types of situations," says Boteilho, who oversees the Public Response Office.

But after six years of frustration, you can't blame Ludwick and Krizewicz for being skeptical.

"We've heard this before," Krizewicz says. "I'll believe it when the trucks are gone."