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Residents Say Conditions Still Not Addressed At Laurelton Mobile Home Park
By Catherine Snipe
The township will investigate whether a mobile home park affected by a new ordinance is actually keeping up with the law by having an onsite manager available to its residents.
In late November, the Brick Township Council approved a law forcing mobile home parks to keep an onsite resident manager or office staffed 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The move was prompted after residents of the Laurelton Mobile Home Park on Route 88 regularly came to council meetings to describe poor conditions and bad communication with the park's management in addressing their needs.
If the park was required to have an onsite manager during scheduled business hours, then residents could have an avenue to address some of the problems they described immediately, instead of trying to track down the management.
However, last week a resident of the park reported to the council that no onsite manager's office existed.
"Where is this office? It does not exist," said Bonnye Spino, who was president of the Laurelton Mobile Home Park Homeowners Association.
She said it has been over a month since the ordinance went into effect, and she feels the management is ignoring, if not flouting, the law.
The law not only spelled out that an onsite manager is required, but also allowed for easier maintenance of the properties. Previously, according to the ordinance, the ability of the owners of the mobile home parks to upgrade facilities, roadways, or utilities including sewer and water infrastructure were restricted by applicable land use ordinances.
The problem is that many of the existing units contained within the mobile home parks are in need of repair, replacement or relocation, according to its residents and the ordinance.
In addition, the existing mobile home parks within the Township of Brick are currently not regulated, but the ordinance puts an arm of enforcement in, requiring a township inspector review applications to move or demolish a mobile home.
The ordinance also required an onsite office to post a copy of the bylaws and lease provisions information at all times. It also spelled out when a mobile home could be moved or destroyed.
Despite the protection the ordinance is supposed to create, Spino said conditions have yet to improve at the park.
Developer Jack Morris owns the park, and several dozen residents continue to withhold rent until conditions improve. Litigation is ongoing.
Spino also said vandalism is increasing in the park and has yet to be cleaned.
Council President Stephen Acropolis said inspectors should be sent to the park, which may be subject to a fine if found to be in violation of the new ordinance.
Council members discussed the issue of vandalism further, with Acropolis suggesting certain public properties may benefit from motion sensor cameras. The cameras would switch on when they detect movement in the area and then start recording, he said.
He's noticed several parks, some recently repaired, already in disrepair after vandals left graffiti and other damage. Previously, township vehicles were damaged or stolen from its property, and Acropolis said the cameras would have helped those situations, too.
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