Editor,
Re: Residents feel 'trapped' in trailer park
I am one of the residents in the trailer park on King George Boulevard.
First, not many of the residents have complained because when we do, it gets us nowhere. This park was sold in 2022. The residents were not warned about the pending sale. As a resident who was already kicked out of the park on 156th Avenue, if we had known, we would have tried to sell and get out before. The same company, Dawson & Sawyer, has already displaced many of the residents here. We know how they operate and would prefer to not be a part of this sale.
Yes, we do have the option to sell to a private buyer and sign the contract with the park over to the new owners. But anybody who would consider purchasing the home would only be doing it as an investment. Therefore, we would have to sell it for possibly less than half of what we will eventually be paid.
The home that I am currently living in belonged to my father, who passed away in December of 2022. His estate can not be settled until we are paid out for the trailer. Plus, the price that Dawson & Sawyer is paying was based on what the trailers were worth three years ago. With it being another possible three years before we are actually paid, there will be no possible way that what we are paid will allow anybody to find a new place that they can afford.
Have you ever heard of someone buying a house, only giving $1,000 down payment and giving a closing date of six years. So, in 2028, we will be paid the 2022 value of our houses.
Every year, our rent has been increased, but nothing has been done to improve the park. As a resident who lives right beside the clubhouse, I am subjected to noise starting sometimes as early as 6:30 a.m. The road into the park has been chewed up and covered in loose rocks. The trees have been removed and now there is nothing but a see-through black cloth blocking the construction workers from viewing the occupants of the swimming pool.
The bottom line is, by the time we get paid out, it won't be enough for us to do anything other than rent because buying will be out of our price range.
Brenda McBlain
