MARYSVILLE – Eagle Point Mobile Home Park residents have begun moving to make way for condominiums or townhouses.
The land beneath their mobile homes has been sold, and they’ve been told to move. The residents have come to accept the news but hope to find strength in numbers, to share information among themselves and support each other.
“We’re trying to get the best deals that we can and make sure that everything is legal and above board,” said Michael McNeil.
McNeil, 61, and his wife, Linda, 56, aren’t rushing into a move but instead are weighing their options. They’ve lived at Eagle Point in north Marysville for more than three years.
They met Saturday with a representative of Barclays North Inc., who was hired by mobile home park owner Patrick McCourt to assist residents in making the move go smoothly. The McNeils talked about their specific needs and what funds and services are available to them.
“It was a very nice meeting,” Michael McNeil said.
Some residents have banded together into a homeowners association. That group has met twice since learning in March that about 230 families would have to move.
Under state law, residents have a year to move in the event of such sales.
At least one family already has moved and several more had planned to move this week, according to David Toyer, a Barclays vice president.
“I think it’s going pretty smoothly,” he said. “Folks are getting the service and help that they need. That’s the important aspect right now. We want to make sure if there’s a problem, we’re getting it fixed.”
McNeil said he has learned that the state will provide more money than originally expected to help families move. In addition, Barclays may provide some additional assistance to pay for things the state money doesn’t cover, such as storing belongings while residents’ mobile homes are being moved, McNeil said.
“We’re kind of caught betwixt and between,” he said. “It’s still kind of up in the air. We don’t have anything in writing.”
Some residents thought until recently that they would be pressured to move quickly, McNeil said, but they’ve been assured that they won’t.
Residents also have gotten conflicting information about how much money the state has in its residence relocation assistance fund, how quickly that money will be replenished, and whether everyone will qualify for it, McNeil said.
“At first, a lot of people weren’t going to pay their rent and they weren’t going to move – the law was going to be moving them out,” he said. “We’ve all come to the point of accepting it. But they’re still concerned and worried about the details. There’s fine details to work out.”
The mobile home park’s previous owners sold the property at auction in Chicago, along with numerous other mobile home parks across the country.
Barclays’ plans for the property are not determined, but the company could build town homes or condominiums.
Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.
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