Elston, city agree on plans for trailer court

The Fairfield City Council laid out the conditions for granting a three-month temporary license to Ranch Trailer Court Monday evening.

Mickey Elston has until Thursday to purchase the property and provide the city with proof of ownership and a $1,500 deposit for water service to the north side of the mobile home park. Elston then must meet several deadlines for bringing the trailer court into code for the park to remain open after Sept. 30.

?I still have some reservations, but at the same time, the idea of shutting off the water, forcing these folks out and still having a place that looks like a bomb dropped isn?t very palatable either,? councilman Myron Gookin said.

Elston agreed to the 10-point plan to remedy code violations proposed by city administrator Jeff Clawson, but asked that several of the deadlines be extended. Because some of the issues have been ongoing for several years, he felt the mid-July deadlines were unreasonable.

?The property committee talked about this, and we went out on a limb by making a recommendation,? councilwoman Susan Silvers said. ?Although I understand this isn?t your mess, and it?s taken years to create it? We took a big risk, so I understand you have concerns, but we have to see some action.?

Elston and the council agreed to a July 31 deadline for presenting a plan to gain control of abandoned trailers, mowing all weeds and grass and removing all trash and debris.

An Aug. 31 deadline was set for presenting a list of unregistered trailers and having all roads maintained. All unauthorized structures or additions must be removed, and all occupied trailers must meet acceptable living standards by Sept. 30.

Before signing the sale agreement, Elston asked that the city ensure there are no outstanding special assessments. He also asked that curbside garbage and recycling collection be re-instated to residents with individual water meters on the south side of the park.

?What is to stop everything from being shifted from the north side to the south side?? Clawson asked, stating the city will not take responsibility for removing accumulated trash and debris from the site. ?Nobody said you created the mess, but the mess is yours if you buy the place, and you need to clean it up. I can arrange for Waste Management to begin picking up appropriately the day after everything is picked up and cleaned up.?

?Do you have the resources to do all this?? councilman Ron Adam asked. ?I could visualize $50,000-$60,000 just to get rid of the existing trailers to get them to Richland.?

?I wouldn?t think that my financial status would be brought into question here,? Elston said, refusing to elaborate on his plans for financing the purchase and improvements.

Gookin said the council wants to ensure the trailer court is brought into compliance and ?everything is on the table? because of the broken promises from past owners.

?You can cut a deal with the seller, the people that currently own this, but if three months down the road, you?ve cut the deal, you?ve bought the property and we?re not seeing the progress that these deadlines will require, I?m not going to agree to any further extension,? Gookin said. ?If we do this, you better have the resources to pull it off because otherwise you?re going to own that chunk of ground and you?re not going to have a trailer park there.?

The council voted 5-1, with Adam dissenting, to the agreed upon terms.

The deal also hinges on a compromise reached with current owners Mitch and Sharon Schoppman for payment of an overdue $12,000 utility bill that accrued while the park had been sold on contract.

Clawson said the city has agreed to reduce the amount to $9,000, eliminating the late fees because the Schoppmans feel the water bills should have been paid by a buyer who defaulted. A lump sum of $4,500 is required by Thursday, and the remaining sum will be paid in increments of $500 each month.

If the deal falls through, residents remaining in the trailer park will have until July 15 to relocate, and the city council will review the situation at their July 11 meeting.

Residents were given until July 1 to find alternate housing when the council denied renewal of the trailer court?s license in December. Many residents were misled up until several weeks ago by the buyer who defaulted on his contract to buy the park.