The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
$2,500 will put residents closer to purchasing land
The residents of Wildwood mobile home park took another step toward their goal of owning the property they live on, Tuesday, November 11, after receiving a $2,500 grant from the county’s discretionary fund that will go toward covering the costs of keeping their plan on track.
Several residents of the 40-unit park began their effort to form a homeowner’s association that could make a viable purchase offer for the land after owner Bob Overton, whose family has owned the park since 1966, put it on the market last August with a price tag of $2,875,000.
With the help of Eileen McVicar, the essential housing administrator for the Housing Authority, and Gunnison attorney Luke Danielson, the residents have started developing articles of incorporation and creating the by-laws that would act as a template to govern their community.
“The Housing Authority works as a facilitator, providing a place to meet as well as gathering information and background on the types of ownership and different ownership options,” said McVicar.
Resident Owned Communities USA, an organization that has helped similarly situated groups buy the property their mobile homes occupy, laid out the option that was ultimately chosen.
Part of the plan calls for the HOA to apply for nonprofit status with the IRS, which costs $750.
Wildwood resident and board member Rich Huss told the commissioners, “The grant money will go a long way in taking us down the road toward getting the 501(c)3 [nonprofit status] and that will in turn pay for itself many times over.”
The grant funds will also help pay for the legal and professional services that are making the development of the necessary documentation and the formation of the HOA possible, along with a $250 fee paid to the Housing Authority for the support it provided.
“This is an in-kind grant,” said Huss. “The association has gotten $2,850 in donations from the community, including approximately $1,200 of in-kind services,” from Danielson.
“I wish that everything that I’ve done as a lawyer was as fun and as productive as this,” said Danielson.
In the recent election, a five-member board was chosen to guide the Wildwood HOA and seek partners in the purchase of the property, “because the value of the [28.71-acre] property is greater than our ability to pay,” said Huss.
The fear is that the property will be sold to someone who wants it for development, not a mobile home park, leaving the residents looking for a new place to live at a comparable price.
“I don’t like it,” said Vera Summer, who has lived at the park since 1972, in July. “If this thing all falls through, we’re going to be looking for someplace to park trailers. I don’t know [where I’d go if the park sold] because there aren’t that many places to have trailers around, and the ones that are out there are for a much higher price than this one.”
Residents at the park currently have 30-day leases, for which they pay $205.
“The possibility of losing our homes became a strong motivator to find a solution,” said Huss.
The property that the mobile home park occupies is at 1313 W. Ohio Avenue at the western edge of the city of Gunnison. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Mobile Homeowners of Wildwood Mobile Home Park can do so by contacting the Gunnison County Housing Authority at 202 East Georgia, Suite A, Gunnison, CO 81230 or via telephone at (970) 641-7901.
