LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo., Aug. 11 (UPI) — A Missouri family said their homeowners association is threatening them with jail time after they refused to take down their purple playground equipment.
Marla Stout of Lee’s Summit said her family put up a playset for their young daughters about two years ago and she painted the equipment purple to comply with requirements of the Raintree Lake Neighborhood Homeowner’s Association.
“There’s nothing in the rules about color,” Stout told WDAF-TV. “What it says is it has to be harmonious with the community and with nature and there is nothing that dictates the color of the swing set.”
Stout said she considered the purple color to be “harmonious” because it matches the color of the trees in the fall, but the homeowner’s association disagreed.
Stout said she received a notice from the HOA last year saying they were being fined for not having the playground equipment and its color pre-approved, but they successfully appealed and had the fine thrown out.
However, the HOA sent further letters demanding the purple playground’s removal.
“[The letters said] that if we didn’t remove the swing set from the subdivision in a couple of weeks, we go to jail,” Stout told KMBC-TV.
Another letter pledged the HOA’s lawsuit would cost the family “greater than any principal you are trying to prove.”
She said the HOA ignored a petition signed by more than a dozen neighbors saying they were not bothered by the equipment.
Stout said her family has hired an attorney and will continue to fight.
