An exit strategy for troubled Moscow mobile home park

As residents move out of mobile homes at the Syringa Mobile Home Park east of Moscow, red tags are going up to indicate no one new can move in.

"We don't want people moving back in," said Latah County Commissioner Dave McGraw. "That way the population will get smaller."

The red-tagging, he said, is a worst-case scenario kind of effort.

"If at some point a judge or the owner decides that's it and the whole place shuts down, we want to have to deal with as few people as necessary losing their homes," he said.

Since mid-January, notices have been issued for 25 mobile homes in the park, along with three vacant spaces and one for the park in its entirety, said Latah building official Eric Pah.

Those notices will remain until water issues at the park are resolved, he said.

According to Idaho law, if a home doesn't have potable water or a proper sewer system, it can be condemned - and residents at Syringa have been unable to rely on either for more than two months.

While the owner of the park, Magar E. Magar of Vancouver, has a long history of noncompliance with Idaho water regulations, the most recent water problems at the park began in late November when a cold snap froze plumping and led to a variety of problems.

Most notably, high levels of coliform bacteria, chlorine and lead in the water have kept residents from having any drinking water, since even boiling the water merely concentrates the amount of lead. Moreover, what water is available has been intermittently shut off for maintenance, repairs or due to the cold.

In recent weeks two lawsuits have been filed against Magar, one from the state Department of Environmental Quality for multiple violations of Idaho water and wastewater rules, as well as a class action lawsuit filed by the University of Idaho's Law Clinic on behalf of the residents for, among others, failure to maintain park facilities in a manner not hazardous to the health of the inhabitants.

Making sure no one else moves into the park is just one aspect of the effort the county and community have made to help the residents of the park. Multiple community organizations and faith-based groups are also organizing efforts to assist.

Several churches have been delivering bottled water to the park for some time. Shirley Greene, a local business-owner and president of missions at the Moscow Church of the Nazarene, said she believes her church has delivered some 500 gallons of water since the most recent problems began.

She is also working in coordination with others to begin determining the needs of the park's residents and how the community can best organize its efforts.

"We're trying to assess how many people there are, how many pets, and if people do need to move, what kind of help they need - even if it's just trucks and bodies to move stuff," she said Tuesday after returning from a trip to Syringa.

That information will be passed along to others hoping to help, like Steve Bonner with Sojourners' Alliance.

Bonner, as head of the transitional housing facility in Moscow, has been trying to determine for some weeks what help his organization can provide and how best to do so.

Many of the residents at the park have expressed the desire to move, but few have the means to make it happen on their own.

"Our facilities are currently full, but through case management, we could help provide some support, finding the right services that would be appropriate to help some of these people," he said.

Bonner said he does have some money from Housing and Urban Development funds available to help some who wish to move cover related expenses, but he said he will have to give priority to families with children.

"If I've got $10,000 for helping with deposits or helping with a move, and $10,000 for some rental assistance, that money will get gobbled up really fast. So that's why we're targeting families first," he said.

While there won't be funding to help with a move available for everyone, Bonner said what is available will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, and he encourages residents to call. Even if they can't provide help monetarily, he said they can still help people connect with resources.

Bonner, and Sojourners' Alliance, can be reached at (208) 883-3438, or by email to shelter@turbonet.com.

Bill McKee can be reached at (208) 883-4627, or by email to wmckee@dnews.com.