Hundreds of people are scrambling to find housing and raise money after the owner of a central Arkansas mobile home park told residents he plans to shut down the 114-home facility, citing utility rate hikes for the closure.
The sudden announcement follows dozens of city violations filed against the Brookside Village Mobile Community in Conway, raising questions among housing advocates and residents about whether increased water and sewer bills are the only factors in shuttering the park, potentially displacing more than 300 people.
In an April 15 letter sent to residents, Brookside owner Bruce Keathley said he planned to close the park on June 30. He wrote that residents would need to move their homes and continue paying rent in the meantime.
Keathley's attorney, Mark Riable, said the cost of operating the more than five-acre lot has gotten expensive and the park is no longer profitable.
He said water bills have been around $15,000 to $20,000 in past months at Brookside.
A spokesman for Conway Corp confirmed the utility company raised water rates at the beginning of 2018 but said the provider hasn’t raised wastewater rates since 2014. He said several factors can cause fluctuating or higher bills because the fees are based on usage.
Residents and housing advocates questioned whether numerous city violation filed against the park owner — potentially costing tens of thousands of dollars — also influenced the decision to close.
Since last month, the city levied 171 code violations, averaging $250 per citation against the park’s owner, according to city records reviewed by the Democrat-Gazette.
They include reports of dilapidated buildings, piles of used tires, broken appliances and material lying around, and “obnoxious odors” caused by sewers, among others.
City of Conway spokesman Bobby Kelly said the city isn’t targeting Keathley or Brookside, but has increased its code enforcement efforts in recent months after adding more staff.
“He’s one of many,” he said.
Riable said he plans to argue against the charges in court, saying many of the alleged infractions happened on people’s private homes that are outside of his client’s responsibility.
“I think he’s been generally supportive of the community,” Riable said, adding that the decision to close in June was to accommodate children’s school schedules. “I feel like there’s a little bit of him getting 'throw him over the bus.'”
He said the park owner offered to help connect residents to mobile home movers or find other living arrangements.
But the reason for the closure matters less than the fact that residents are being told to leave, said Phillip Fletcher, director of City of Hope Outreach, a nonprofit group in Conway that began raising money to help Brookside residents move.
“This doesn’t change what’s happening to these people on the ground,” Fletcher said. “Our focus is to help these women, children and families.”
Fletcher estimated that at least 300 people live in the park. Residents pay up to $300 per month to rent space in the lot for their trailer.
But moving a trailer comes at a steep price, and some might need to be scrapped altogether because they aren't safe to move, Fletcher said.
He said a number of residents are also financing their homes, compounding the cost for moving them, which can be up to $2,000 or more depending on the distance.
“It’s not a cheap affair,” Fletcher said.
He said Tuesday that he wasn’t sure how much money the group had raised through a fundraising campaign for the displaced residents.
“There’s been a lot of anger but also tears and sadness,” Fletcher said. “I’m hoping people will .. sympathize with the situations of these families.”