By: Daniel L. Bamberg
Daniel@Centrevillepress.com
It began with an entire trailer park waking up one morning without water. At least that was the proverbial straw which broke the camel’s back for residents of Shady Oak Estates, a trailer park located just off of Highway 5 in the West Blocton / Woodstock area. Many who live there are infuriated with what they consider to be a gross mistreatment from the owner of the properties, Ricky Shaw.
Richard “Ricky” Shaw is one of two listed members of Highfield Properties LLC, the company that owns the trailer park. The other member shares his same last name. One resident, Danny Cottrell stated, “He’s (Shaw) treating us like we are less than human. We’re still people, we’re just poor.” Shaw on the other hand suggests, “They know what they are moving into and accept it. Then they want improvements without paying for rent. I don’t see how there’s sympathy for any of them in my opinion. There’s not a person there who hasn’t been late before. We’ve worked things out with nearly 70% of them. I mean this idea of fixing these places for someone who doesn’t pay, that’s just a bunch of liberal non-sense.” Records obtained confirm that as of the 3rd week in November 2009 all but 5 of the 25 residents living in the park were up to date on their rent. Of the 5 behind on rent, two had paid portions as of that date. One of the three remaining is Monique Dawkins who refuses to pay a dime until the many problems in her trailer are repaired.
Cottrell and another resident Jonathan “David” McGee approached the media, city hall, and Greenpond Water System, Inc. on the morning the water was disconnected. These residents are made to pay $35 per month for their use of water. The owner is responsible for paying a single water bill, which services the entire park. On the morning the water was shut off the park had been issued a disconnection notice. According to that notice the water was shut off due to nonpayment of a $6,964.53 bill. It is uncertain how many months the water bill went unpaid before the disconnection. Keeping this in mind, some of these residents had receipts in hand showing they had given their monthly water payment to the manager. Others couldn’t find receipts. Greenpond eventually connected not long after the residents had contacted them. Yet, this “last straw” as resident’s called it had already began a chain of events which could not be stopped. The media was aware, county and city officials were made aware, as were many other entities of influence.
What was uncovered in the investigation might be shocking to some. Surprising or not, to most of the residents in Shady Oaks the way they’ve been treated is downright nasty. “There are people living in these trailers who no longer have hot water. People can’t flush or bathe because of the problems with the septic tanks and plumbing. There are bathtubs where people have to stand in a certain spot to keep from falling through. Black mold seeps through the walls and ceilings. When you clean it up, it comes right back. There are electrical outlets, which shoot sparks,” said Cottrell.
Danny lives in trailer #30. He lived in Shady Oaks a few years prior and eventually moved, during the previous land ownership. Cottrell returned to the park in October of 2009, this time with Shaw as the landlord. The previous owners practiced tending the needs of the residents and maintaining the property, according to those who lived in the park before Ricky Shaw took over in mid-2008. Cottrell also confirmed this. Since Shaw, has taken over however, many residents feel neglected, abused and taken advantage of. “The only thing the owner will do is move people to another trailer in the park. Once they get in that trailer there’s new problems. If you move out of a home without hot water, you move into one with bad electrical outlets,” Cottrell explained. According to many the on-site manager has tried to fix many problems but the owner refuses to put up funds for repairs.
Cottrell and McGee are not the only ones complaining. Twenty other residents of the area signed a letter of complaint the day the water was shut off. Within the letter is a detailed list of all the problems occurring in the trailers of Shady Oaks, which have not been fixed. Upon entering the park, all of these problems were confirmed.
Sewage could be smelled immediately. Children were playing in what appeared and smelled like raw sewage bubbling and seeping out of the ground throughout the park. “You can’t keep them out of this all of the time. They are kids and they have no idea what they are playing in. We can’t keep them locked up inside, and this is what we are dealing with on the outside of these trailers,” said resident David McGee. Some have even suggested that the insides of the trailer possess a greater health risk to the children. From black mold, to what appears to be the nearly unstoppable amount of German roaches, the potential health risks are abundant. A few homes in particular were so infested with roaches what appeared to be trim were actually trails of these pests. Above the doorways leading from one room to another colonies of roaches were gathered. If any wall decorations were moved dozens (or more) would scatter out from within. “Roaches come from the way these people live. The people come in and destroy the place,” said Shaw.
While there was plenty of visual confirmation of black mold, none was needed. In every home entered during the investigation the undeniable smell was strong. This unfortunately is not all, which was uncovered. Most of the trailers entered had a few windows replaced with Plexiglas sheets, which were sealed with either calk or tar, but there was no sort of insulation around them. Holes from incomplete sealant allowed these windows to cast a cool breeze as condensation formed on the inside of the panes. Floors had many soft spots, and in some cases actual holes where the ground underneath could be seen. In a few trailers the ceilings drooped, and the outer most point of these sags were soft and moist. Cracks were in the ceilings in many spots as well. Black mold was not limited to the ceiling problems, but seemed to be one of the biggest culprits of the highly dangerous fungus. “If the black mold is unacceptable, we have other trailers,” said Shaw.
In the bathrooms, some didn’t have running water, other didn’t have flushing toilets, and even in two places visited the bathtubs did not have a complete floor underneath. The residents of these places explained that taking a shower was a little more strategically planned than most should be used to. In one bathtub, the tenants have to straddle a weak spot.
Some of these residents are completely without the use of hot water. Monique Dawkins said she has lived in trailer #21 since July of 2008. Shaw himself has recently served her a few eviction notices. “I have lived here for over a year. I paid my rent and was a good tenant. I lost my job a few months ago but kept paying rent, and then my water heater started leaking. I asked the manager to get it fixed. He told me Ricky wouldn’t buy me a hot water heater. So I went out and bought my own, and Ricky will not install it. So after dealing with everything else you already have to put up with in this trailer park and him not fixing my hot water I stopped paying, and I am not going to pay a dime until he fixes my hot water,” said Dawkins. She isn’t just concerned with the hot water, though admits it is her greatest concern. Other problems are the fact that the water heater is sitting outside around rotting wood, and the water, which is leaking from it, is running near an electrical outlet. Dawkins also suffers from not being able to keep the black mold out of her home. She deals with roaches, and there are holes in her floor where the duct system has been ripped. In one room there are spacious cracks in the walls where the outdoor light and air comes through. She explained to us that management and Ricky Shaw have been made aware of all issues on a regular basis. After he refused to fix the hot water she says, “I had enough.” Ricky Shaw explained the situation with Dawkins on last week; “She has been behind in rent for 7 months. She owes more than $2,000. She has been served eviction notices. I haven’t fixed her hot water and I don’t plan on fixing it. She needs to leave,” Shaw suggested. According to records obtained, Dawkins is less than 3 months behind, not 7 months as Shaw suggests. The records further indicate that she owes far less than $2,000.
Then there is the problem with the sewage. There are yards in this park where raw sewage is literally bubbling out of the ground. What appear to be several puddles and streams of water are actually puddles of sewage. This problem occurs throughout. Even behind the park itself, there is a large run off of sewage into the woods. According to tenants this a run off from straight pipes without a septic tank. There was no confirmation of any pipes without a septic tank as of press time, however. Whatever is occurring in those woods however is certainly and undeniably sewage. Shaw explains, “Most of that is a mixture of water leaks and sewage leaks. It isn’t all raw sewage and isn’t as bad as it looks.”
Last week former residents Tabitha and Michael Fenn explained all they had to endure while living in Shady Oaks. The Department of Human Resources had to force the couple to relocate due to the health problems their child was enduring. They had always planned to relocate as soon as possible but were desperately trying to find an alternative to Shady Oaks. Eventually DHR helped them relocate to what they say is a much cleaner and safer environment in Greenpond. Their story to some might be horrifying.
“My child has scars on her legs from roaches to this day,” said Tabitha. “We were literally infested with roaches in that place.” According to her husband Michael the roaches were so bad that they often threw away food from fear of the diseases roaches carry. “They were in the cabinets, in the walls, in the microwave, and the refrigerator. These things were everywhere,” Michael said. The Fenn’s possess a video recording of the roaches and other problems in the trailer. In one scene, when the wood in the trailer is pulled back roaches literally pour from the inside. “I almost lost my child over this. We are not bad parents we were living in a dump and had no way out,” said Tabitha who was almost in tears as she continued. “Nobody cared I mean people came in and out of that place all the time. Police go there all of the time. Maybe they think everyone there is a criminal but what about the children who live there?”
Kasey Davis just moved into the park with her two young daughters less than 3 weeks ago. She is without hot water already, and has begun to recognize the problems within her building such as rotting wood. Her doors are not secure or easy to open. Due to an accident, which recently befell her at work, she is using a walker. Her placement at the park like those of many who enter, is temporary. Unfortunately for most of these residents life situations can make temporary a little longer than expected.
So where do the rights of these residents come into play? According to Alabama law: A landlord must meet all building and housing codes that affect health and safety. A landlord must maintain all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems in good working order. They must supply running cold and hot water. A landlord must provide a source of heat in the winter. If a tenant pays his or her heat directly, however, a landlord doesn’t have to pay the tenant’s bill. The landlord must keep common areas safe and clean and must make repairs to keep their tenant’s place safe and livable.
Ricky Shaw however says, “ This all comes down to what you can have for the amount of money they are paying, which is not much. The rent is only $90 per week. There are one-bedroom apartments for fixed income that go for more than that per week. I mean they can move out, but where else are they going to go? This place provides affordable living and we work it out when most people fall behind.”
On Monday morning The Health Department was contacted. Next week there will be a follow-up regarding other aspects of this story. If you know someone, or are one who lives in an area with similar health hazards you are encouraged to contact the Health Department (205)-926-9702.
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