SCHOFIELD, WI (WSAU) — The story of the former Northern Mobile Home Park in Schofield may have a happy ending, after all.
The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to issue an operating license to Sustainable Resources, the new owners of the park, to keep what will now be known as Hidden Lakes Mobile Home Park open as long as certain benchmarks are met.
Those on the council expressed concerns over a handful of violations that have yet to be corrected along with parking issues in the park. Attorney Mark Hazelbaker gave his word that those issues will be looked at and addressed before a 30-day checkup at the next City Council meeting. The Council also imposed a 90-day checkup after the December meeting to ensure that the park remains compliant.
Hazelbaker noted during Tuesday’s meeting that the new ownership group of the park had difficulty closing on the sale due to the previous issues with the facility, including a list of hundreds of violations that went unchecked over the course of years. However, to show their commitment to the facility Sustainable Resources brought in an asphalt crew to fix some 300 potholes in the driveway of the facility and other repairs were made well before the closing date of the sale in early October.
“We want to make sure we meet all of the expectations we have committed to meet tonight,” said Hazelbaker. “If we fail to do what we are supposed to do, it can be shut down at any time. This is simply a statement of what’s implicant in everything – do a good job or you are history. We aren’t going to be history, we are going to do a good job,” he added.
Sustainable Resources operates as a subdivision of Los Angeles based Idyllwild , an investment group that purchases mobile home parks and operates them through various companies.
Those on the council didn’t mince words when it came to letting management and ownership of the park know that they will not hesitate to pull the license at the first sign of trouble. “If by this time next year things are in disarray, you are not going to get a license,” said Alder Dan Vergin. Others noted for the license to be valid the park would need to provide 1.5 parking spaces for every unit in the facility and provide city, police, and fire officials with an updated site plan.
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Mayor Kregg Hoehn said it was refreshing to see representation from the park at the meeting and hopes it can be the start of a renewed connection between the owners of the park and the city. He says that’s where the previous ownership group failed several years ago, which to him led to the downward spiral of the park. “We couldn’t get a hold of the old owners to get everything cleaned up the way it should have been. The new owners have shown they are willing to work with us, and I’m hoping that’s the way it goes.”
Hoehn said he knows it will take some time to clean up what’s left of the original list of violations, which is why city leaders voted to put the 30 and 90-day checkups in the license, he also plans to periodically check in with management to make sure everything is staying in good shape.
“That was our biggest concern, that it was a clean, safe environment [for everybody that lives there]. That’s the environment that they should be able to live in,” added Hoehn.
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Hazelbaker, a Madison-based attorney with Kasieta Legal Group, LLC said it’s important to remember that hard-working residents of the Wausau area own and live in those homes, and Tuesday’s decision will help them sleep a little better.
“When I deal with it, when the owners deal with it, it’s a business issue. It’s home to them, they now know that they have a home. And it’s extremely gratifying to me especially at this time of year to know we have been able to deliver some piece of mind to people who really deserve it.” said Hazelbaker.
“I think the story tonight is piece of mind came to a lot of good people who have been looking for it for a long time,” he added.
