Candidate for father of the year, Jeremy Trentelman, has run afoul of the law in Ogden, Utah. His crime? Violating building codes when he constructed a cardboard box fort for his two children, Max, who is 3, and Story, 2.
According to Yahoo.com
“The whole thing is just ridiculous,” Jeremy Trentelman, a professional floral designer and father of two, tells Yahoo Parenting. “I thought I was just building a fort out of cardboard, tape and a little love, but apparently it’s making a statement.”
Trentelman built the fort for his children in order to spark their imagination and creativity and to get them away from the TV. Obviously something that the government should have stepped in to end as soon as possible.
The city of Ogden delivered a warning to Trentelman signed by code enforcer Gordon Sant. Trentelman was in violation for having “waste materials or junk” in his front lawn. He was given 14 days to remove the fort or pay a $125 fee. “I thought I was going to send off this scathing email, I was so mad for about an hour,” Trentelman said “But then I realized I would rather spend time putting positive energy into my kids than negative energy into this.”
From Yahoo.com
But apparently, Trentelman notes, “This has taken on a life of its own.” After he posted the violation letter to his Facebook page, noting, “ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDIN ME!!!?! ‘Waste materials or junk’ it says… what about totally awesome fun zone…,” the story was picked up byBuzzFeed. Then a supporter organized an event through Facebook, asking fellow citizens to support Trentelman’s efforts by building their own cardboard forts in their own yard. While he’s not certain if that’s taken off, he says he has caught wind of similar structures being built in his honor in places as far away as Mississippi and Canada. And folks from around the country — including Nevada, California, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana — have posted spirited messages of support and praise for “awesome parenting” on the event page.
“The kicker is, we probably would’ve taken it down today because it takes up the majority of our front yard,” he says on Monday, noting that Easter Sunday “was a fantastic day,” as they had kids over and enjoying the structure “from sun up to sun down.” Now the family will definitely keep the fort alive until their approaching Monday deadline — provided it doesn’t disintegrate in coming rains, although it’s already survived a windstorm and light snow showers.
Still, while the whole situation with the city is “unfortunate,” Trentelman says, his kids have been having a ball. “They think it’s awesome,” he says. “They think it’s just amazing.”
This isn’t the first time city bureaucracies have had staff tackle these major infractions.
Back in June 2011, A Montgomery County city inspector, ordered kids operating a lemonade stand to close it down. Admittedly, they eventually allowed the kids to reopen the lemonade stand.
Several months ago in January, a family from Ajax Ontario was ordered to take down the boards of a homemade ice rink or face a fine of up to $25,000. After public outcry, the Mayor of Ajax stepped in to persuade the bylaw office to seek a compromise and the family eventually got to keep the ice rink up until the end of mid-March.
