Town Tackles Range Of Complaints

At Trailer Park

By Andrew Gorosko

In response to an anonymous letter of complaint submitted to town and state officials concerning allegedly “hideous” living conditions at the Meadowbrook Terrace Mobile Home Park at 55 Sugar Street (Route 302), town officials say they are taking steps to resolve certain problems there.

The 12-acre site has spaces for more than 60 mobile homes. The residents who live there typically own the mobile homes that they occupy and pay a monthly rent for the spaces where those structures are positioned.

“Frustrated and concerned residents” of the trailer park submitted the April 12 letter to state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and to local officials.

In a statement, Mr Blumenthal said, “We are reviewing the letter from Meadowbrook Terrace Mobile Home Park residents to determine whether my office or another state agency has the authority to help. We hope to have answers shortly.”

Among the many complaints listed in the letter, the writers allege that the water supply is undrinkable due to contamination problems.

Town Health Director Donna Culbert said April 29 that certain improvements have been made to the complex’s common water supply that now make that water safe to drink.

In letters received by trailer park residents on April 28, Ms Colbert stated that the owner of the facility “has made major improvements to the water system in response to deteriorating water mains, water pressure problems, and water quality problems.”

“The water has been tested and is currently in compliance with [(state Department of Public Health] standards, and is safe to drink,” she wrote.

Water mains have been replaced, a new water storage system has been installed, and the location for a new well has been approved by the state, she added.

Ms Colbert said that some trailer park residents may not have been aware that the water supply is now considered safe to drink. A previously faulty water system had required residents to use bottled water.

The anonymous letter also alleges that abandoned mobile homes at the complex have served as “drug dens/homeless shelters,” that wild animals are using the units as refuge, and that the units smell of urine and feces during the warm weather. The letter alleges that the several abandoned mobile homes should be demolished, but have been left standing by the complex’s owners and the facility’s management company.

The writers of the letter urged town officials to investigate their concerns and to focus on problems at several mobile homes there, as well as review blight issues posed by deteriorating structures.

“Many of the residents living at this [trailer] park are hard working people that try to keep the park nice, but it is impossible because of how this park is supervised,” the anonymous writers add.

A brief tour of the facility indicated that many of the mobile homes are well kept, but some others are not.

Myriam Clarkson is the spokeswoman for The Renaissance Collaborative, Inc, of New Haven, which is the trailer park’s management company.

Ms Clarkson said she visited the complex on April 29 to inspect conditions there. Ms Clarkson acknowledged that the abandoned Unit 6 there is in “deplorable” condition. “We’re doing whatever we can…We’re working on it as quickly as we can.”

Ms Clarkson referred questions on conditions at the complex to attorney Stephen Savarese who represents the trailers park’s owners, William Henckel and The Estate of Penelope Barrett.

Mr Savarese said of the situation, “It’s a rather convoluted series of issues.”

The residents of the deteriorated Unit 6 abandoned their trailer amid an eviction proceeding, Mr Savarese said. The owners of the complex are taking over that unit, he said. “It’s being attended to,” he added.

Unfortunately, the people who owned and lived in that unit let their property deteriorate, he said. Almost $5,900 in back taxes are owed on that unit.

Inspection

In response to the anonymous letter, five town officials on April 28 inspected conditions at Meadowbrook Terrace.

They were First Selectman Joe Borst, Police Chief Michael Kehoe, Land Use Agency Director George Benson, Chief Building Official John Poeltl, and Assistant Sanitarian Edward Knapik of the health department.

Mr Borst said April 29 that he would be discussing the trailer park situation with Mr Savarese in seeking to resolve problems there.

On April 28, the town land use agency issued a cease-and desist order against the trailer park’s owners requiring them to remove household waste, and abandoned and used materials from the lot where Unit 6 stands.

Such an accumulation of material violates the zoning regulations which prohibit that from occurring in areas which are visible from adjacent streets or lots.

Also, on April 29, Mr Knapik issued a health violation notice to the trailer park’s owners requiring them to remove and properly dispose of garbage, trash, and discarded items at Unit 6.

Mr Knapik also is requiring that vacant Units 20, 27, and 31 be properly secured to prevent unauthorized entry into them. Those units also have property tax delinquencies, with Unit 31 having more than $8,300 of overdue taxes on it.

Chief Kehoe said April 28 that the four vacant units at the trailer park were secured that day. There was no evidence of drug activity having occurred inside those units, he said.

Mr Poeltl said that any vacant units that remain at the trailer park must be well secured to prevent illegal entry into them.

Mr Borst said that the appearance of Unit 6 is “unsightly.”

“I’m sympathetic to those who are trying to keep their places decent” at Meadowbrook Terrace, he said.

The town will work to resolve problems at the complex, he said. “We’re going to do what we can,” he added. The first selectman said he would be conferring with the town attorney on the matter.

In their letter of complaint, the anonymous trailer park residents state that the abandoned mobile homes the trailer park pose fire hazards.

In response, Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said, “Any unoccupied building could be considered a fire hazard.” It is important that trash be removed from properties because the presence of trash poses fire hazards, he said.

Many of the issues at the trailer park are legal issues, he added.