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Lower Pines issue heads to courtroom By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The owner and residents of the Lower Pines Mobile Home Park will have their day in court. Trailer park tenants were served with eviction notices this week, some notices tacked to trailer doors while others were delivered directly into anxious hands. "There was a knock on the door (Wednesday), and they handed it to me," resident Sandra Burke said. "I took it as, 'How can I get out in seven days?'" The notice gives residents seven days to prepare for a preliminary eviction hearing in Jackson County Circuit Court. The hearing, set for 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, will determine whether the tenants claim a legal right to remain in the park. Under Oregon eviction law, if the tenants don't show up, landlord Gregg Adams - if he shows - will likely get an order giving him possession of the property. If Adams doesn't appear, the case will likely be dismissed. If both sides show up - as both plan to do - a trial date will likely be set for within 15 days of Feb. 12. Adams announced a week ago he was no longer negotiating with the Rogue Valley Community Development Corporation to sell the trailer park property for construction of a low-income housing development. The plan had been to build a collection of affordable units, make them available to the residents and help pay relocation costs. In February 2001, PremierWest Bank of Medford considered buying the site across Ashland Street from Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers and building a bank surrounded by a plaza on the site. The issue drew the attention of social justice organizations Oregon Action of Medford and Peace House of Ashland. The bank backed out of the deal, partly because of the controversy. In November 2001, the residents of the park's 10 mobile homes were given $100 a month rent increases, followed by a year's notice of eviction a month later. Since then, there have been multiple news stories, the creation - and subsequent withdrawal - of a trailer park protection ordinance, a park "clean-up" day, and a series protests and appeals to the Ashland City Council by park residents and local affordable housing advocates. The controversy was apparently settled with plans to sell the land for an affordable housing project, but that deal fell through shortly after the initial 365-day eviction notice time ran out. Tenants and Oregon Action representatives plan to fight the evictions, a fight which - even if they lose - will at least buy residents more time to work out new living arrangements, according to Oregon Action Director Rich Rohde. "We'll be there (in court) to make sure their rights aren't trampled by these folks," Rohde said. "A lot of people have called to offer help. That's really gratifying. "We are hoping to build a community response so these people are not put out on the streets," Rohde added. Adams today said he is working out details with some of the residents to give them financial assistance to move themselves, their trailers (if the trailers are in good condition), or help pay for disposal of trailers which can't be salvaged. "I've contacted four tenants already and I plan to talk to the others soon," Adams said this morning. "It's going to be equitable according to their situation." Adams added that a few of the people living there now are not registered as tenants and will get no assistance. "Those people have to take care of themselves," he said. Rohde, who has been working with residents for the past two years, is skeptical, and said he's not aware of any assistance having come from Adams yet. "We will not in any way stop from holding Adams responsible," Rohde said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -