Mobile home residents forced to move
By summer 2011, Utah State University Mobile Home Park will no longer be home to many families and USU students as the outdated, well-used space is vacated and prepared for the construction of new townhomes, according to USU student and former mobile home park resident Virginia Todd.
Some residents were told they needed to move out this summer after water pipes burst underground which caused leaking in some areas of the park, Todd said.
There are still some people living in the mobile home park, but many people and students are noticing that much of the land that was occupied by trailers last year is now empty and abandoned because of the situation. It is obvious when passing by the park now that much of the land is no longer in use. Where many mobile homes used to be parked, providing convenient, affordable housing to students and other tenants there are now unused lots.
Those tenants who were not residing on the land that was damaged by the pipes have been allowed to stay in the trailer park until next summer, Todd said. There are now other plans for the land, so those residents still living there will need to find other places to reside by the summer of 2011.
Todd said that many people, including her, living in certain sections of the trailer park were kicked out because of the pipes bursting and leaking, making the land unsuitable to live on. The residents were given some notice that they needed to leave the park. Most of them needed to be out by July 1 while others were permitted to stay until Aug. 1. Todd believes there were about twenty residents of the mobile home park that were told to leave at that time. She lived in number 74, which was the last spot on the section that needed to be vacated. Todd was one of the residents that had to be out by July 1 of this summer.
The mobile home park, located on the east side of campus and across from the Student Living Center, is owned by Utah State University. It was an option of Family Student Housing along with Aggie Village, Townhouses and West Stadium Villa. Many Utah State University students picked this housing option along with community members not attending USU.
There are still people living in the usable sections of the park, but next summer the entire mobile home park will be shut down and replaced by townhouses.
The majority of the residents at the mobile home park were USU students, but the park was also a home to many families. “I think one couple has lived on the property for thirty years.” Todd said.
Some of the occupants on the land rented mobile homes owned by USU while other residents chose to provide their own trailers on a lot at the park; land-owners allowed either option.
Soon, even the remaining residents will be required to vacate. USU now plans to shut down the entire mobile home park by next summer and sell the land on which the proposed townhouses will be built.
– marissa.bodily@aggiemail.usu.edu