Elston plans to fix trailer park

Hope is still alive for the residents of roughly 16 trailers still inhabited at Ranch Trailer Park.

With the June 30 deadline to move out of the unlicensed mobile home park quickly approaching, the Fairfield City Council Property Committee met Wednesday to consider a compromise with an interested buyer.

The committee will recommend the full council give Mickey Elston until the end of the month to finalize the sale with current owners Mitch and Sharon Schoppman and agree to a timeline for abating nuisances.

?The condition of the park is indefensible,? said Mayor Ed Malloy. However, up until a few weeks ago many residents were being misled by an individual who had purchased the trailer court on contract, he said. That individual told residents the court would remain open and began collecting rent before defaulting on the deal.

?The people getting hurt by this are the tenants,? councilman Myron Gookin agreed. ?Unfortunately, it?s the owners of the park that put you in this situation.?

Unless conditions improve, he sees no reason to grant another extension.

?We?ve got to get this thing fixed,? he said.

?My long-term goal is to turn that into someplace decent,? Elston said, acknowledging, ?Right now, I have a mess on my hands.?

Elston outlined mowing and improving road conditions within the trailer park as his immediate goals. He wants to remove 20 dilapidated trailers, but said he wants the weight of the city behind him.

?We worked with uncooperative owners the last several years,? said councilman John Revolinski, explaining the council needs to feel comfortable any new owner will be responsible and accountable.

Residents said they have already banded together to begin make headway on the grounds and are willing to assist Elston in any way possible.

City administrator Jeff Clawson said an unpaid $12,000 utility bill ? likely exacerbated by a water leak ? that accrued while the park was sold on contract is another kink in the state of affairs.

Sharon Schoppman has refused to pay because the buyer had taken control of the park, but ?we feel very strongly it?s her park ? it?s her responsibility,? Clawson said.

Because Elston also is unwilling to acquire the bill with purchase of the park, the city is working toward an agreement with the Schoppmans. Clawson said it involves one immediate payment and an extended payment plan.

Clawson also submitted a suggested timeline for abating the trailer park?s numerous code violations, including the removal of all trash and debris by July 15, the mowing of all grass and weeds by July 31 and the improvement of all roadways up to code by Aug. 31.

The proposal also calls for a detailed plan to obtain the titles of abandoned trailers and requires all utilities be brought up to acceptable standards ? for example, the extension cord illegally running across the road from one trailer to another must be removed.

?I?m certainly OK with trying to make this happen,? Gookin said. However, if no contracts are signed by June 30, he feels the city should move forward as planned.

When the council denied renewal of the trailer court?s license in December, residents were given six months to find alternate housing. Water service to the park would be terminated July 1, and anyone remaining in the park would be in violation of city code.

A letter issued to the Shoppmans in December cited the numerous vacant and dilapidated trailers, the accumulation of junk and debris and the poor road and grounds maintenance.

In 2009, the couple was granted a three-month probationary license. During that time, they removed two of the park?s worst offenses ? a burnt trailer and a partially deconstructed trailer ? and their license was extended through the end of the year.

Police chief Julie Harvey said mismanagement of Ranch Trailer Park pre-dates the Schoppmans by two or three owners/managers. She said the park use to be operated under strict management.

?All the problems we?ve had have just grown and grown and grown,? Harvey said.

She said theft also has become a problem in the abandoned trailers, which are being raided for metals. Without owners/victims of the crime, she said there?s nothing to enforce.