Board of Adjustment Agenda and Packet 2013 04 17

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To Whom it May Concern: We have been asked to provide some background information for the reasoning for our variance request and explain why this fence is so important to our family. The variance is for permission to raise the height of our back and side fence to 6 feet. The variance is needed because we are on a corner lot and the side of our property is listed as the front of the property in the city plans. The fence would be replacing an existing 4 foot fence as well as incorporating an additional portion of the side yard. No portion of the fence would extend past the actual front of the house facing Garfield Avenue. The primary reason we would like to raise the height of this fence to 6 feet is because we have a 9 year old daughter who has multiple significant special needs. In the past she has successfully climbed over the 4 foot fence. At another time, she has also run off from our house and attempted to enter our neighbor’s houses. She was successful in entering at least one house with an unlocked door and surprised a homeowner prior to us locating her. She left without responding to questions and offers of help from the homeowner. With the help of neighbors, we located her shortly thereafter before she had attempted to cross any major roads. We have been in contact with both the Louisville Police Department as well as the Louisville Fire Department to create safety and action plans for our daughter. Our daughter Megan is a 9 year old blue eyed brown haired girl, who suffers from multiple disabilities including Epilepsy, Autism, and global developmental delays in all areas of development. She has been diagnosed with atrophy in her cerebellum (part of her brain is shrinking) and has been undergoing tests and hospitalizations for five years to try to control her seizures and prevent further cognitive regression. She is currently being treated by the Director of the Epilepsy Program, and the head of the Special Care Clinic at The Children’s Hospital. She is being studied by the head of the Neurometabolic clinic at The Children’s Hospital to try to determine a root cause, if there is one, for her multiple conditions. Megan has regressed to the point where her impulse control and her language skills have been greatly impacted. Her most recent neuropsychology testing results showed her expressive language to be equivalent to that of a 15 month old. She has regressed to the point of wearing diapers just two months shy of her 10th birthday. Megan’s communication attempts are very repetitive and consist primarily of what currently holds immediate interest in the moment and it is difficult to engage her in a conversation or answer questions about herself. She is not able to tell people who she is, where she lives, or who her parents are.