Residents of two Lexington Park trailer parks, scheduled to be closed in the coming months to make way for new development, gathered at the St. Mary’s County government building Tuesday morning to speak in favor of a grant the county commissioners are seeking to help the them find new homes.
The 42 acres of lands that comprise White Oaks and National Mobile Home trailer parks recently changed hands, and an uncertain future awaits the residents there.
Members of the 150 families facing displacement told the commissioners that they were made false promises, lied to and kept in the dark about the fate of the parks. They claimed their rights were violated, and they are now being asked to leave, but have few places to go.
“Shirley Hoffman is most probably 75. She is just scared to death,” Hoffman’s caretaker told Commissioner Kenny Dement (R, Piney Point).
“She sure is,” Dement concurred.
To help the beleaguered residents, the commissioners are seeking a $363,000 in bloc grant from the state to help April 10, 2008 deadline.
Commissioner President Jack Russell (D, St. George’s Island) stated that the grant request should not be construed as the commissioners letting the developers go off the hook.“This is above and beyond what is required of the developers,” Russell said. Russell added that there were significant issues involved at the two trailer parks, causing him tremendous concern.
“They have certain legal responsibilities,” said Daniel Raley (D, Great Mills) of the new owners of the parks that were sold one after another.
In the past, owners of mobile homes did not have the same legal protections as tenants of other housing. In 1984, however, the Maryland General Assembly strengthened the Mobile Home Parks Act to further define park residents’ rights.
Thomas Kevin Carney, owner of Thomas Builders, the company that bought the White Oaks land, said his company was allocating $217,000 to help residents with the relocation process. The money would come from the gross income for one whole year’s rent from the owners of the trailers.
“We want to help alleviate the situation as much as we can,” Carney told the commissioners.
Carney bought the White Oaks land that housed 70 mobile homes on 17 acres from Baltimore County permit director Timothy Kotorco and Chris Holt, both of Finksburg. Residents claim Kotorco remained elusive to their queries throughout last year.
Liz Crosby, a co-owner of one the trailers at White Oaks where her daughter resides, has no idea what to do beyond the April 10, 2008 deadline. She had bought the mobile home just a year ago. She said that Richard Eshelman, property manager for Thomas Builders, told the residents it costs $8,000 to $12,000 to move a mobile home.
“Obviously the $3,100 offered by Thomas Builders doesn’t begin to cover the cost, and I am hopeful that the block grant will help,” Crosby said.
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