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iI <br /> <br /> Wednesday, January 29, 1997/Elk River Star News / 5 <br />City considers two laws <br />to deal with park closin'g <br /> <br />by Joni Astrup <br /> <br />Duitsman MacGibbon <br /> <br /> extensive sum of money." <br /> "There's no way that he <br />(Hohien) can sit down and <br />write a check for the sum total <br />of all the'se numbers," Mac- <br />Gibbon told the City Council. <br />"If it comes to that, then this <br />enterprise or project,'I fhlnk, <br />is doomed." . <br /> Hohlen 'has a purchase <br />agreement with' Associated <br />Developers, but MacGibbon <br />said the deal has not yet come <br />to closing, <br /> <br />week. "It might be one way to "The vibrations I hear <br />get to a reasonable financial tonight suggest we may not <br />settlement, but it might be an come to a closing," MacGibbon <br />illegal way." told the council. <br />The ordinances were to be Park tenants in the'audience <br />considered by the City Council. blamed Hohlen and. Mac- <br />on Feb. 3. But Monday night, Gibbon for the lack of <br />the City Council changed the progress. <br /> <br /> Associate editor <br /> Disfirrbed over Earl Hohien's <br /> lack of progress in negotiating <br /> with residents of his mobile <br /> home park, the Elk River City <br /> Council has uno_uimously <br /> ordered two ordinances to be <br /> dra~ed. <br /> · One ordinance would allow <br /> residents to be paid the <br /> appraised value of their home <br /> plus $900 in moving costs. <br /> · The other ordinance would <br /> allow residents to be paid the <br /> assessed value of their mobile <br /> home plus $900 in moving <br /> costs. They also could keep the <br /> title to their home. <br /> But City Attorney'David <br />' Sellergren cautioned the city <br /> that he would have to <br /> research that option.. <br /> "That doesn't feel quite right <br /> to me;" he told the council last <br /> <br /> Tenant Heather Bergman <br /> said many residents have met <br /> with MacGibbon and given <br /> him the figures he asked for, <br /> but negotiations have not hap- <br /> pened. <br /> Tenant Duane Lundeen said <br /> Hohlen told klm and tenant <br /> Curt Julius that he would buy <br /> them out, but hasn't~ <br /> "Didn't he, Curt? Didn't he?" <br /> Lundeen asked Julius. <br /> ~Yeah, he didf Julius <br />replied. · . <br /> "That's a lie, boy, and you <br />know it," Hohlen responded <br />fi-om the audience. And so it went. <br /> More than 30 mobile homes <br />remain in the park. <br /> The assessed value of the <br />homes is estimated in the <br /> <br /> meeting date to Feb. 18 at 7 <br /> p.m. <br /> The city is'waiting in the <br /> wings as Earl and Lorraine <br /> Hohlen and their attorney, <br /> John MacGibbon, attempt to <br /> negotiate with residents so the <br /> Elk Terrace Mobile Home <br /> Park can be closed to make <br /> way for a commercial develop- <br /> ment. <br /> The trailer park is located at <br />the corner of Highway 169 and <br />Main Street in Elk River. <br /> MacGibbon told the City <br />Council last week that at the <br />rate negotiations with tenants <br />are going, the matter won't be <br />settled by the targeted closure <br />date of June 24, 1997. <br /> He said the Hohlens have <br />met with a "good manf' of the <br /> <br />~sidents, _who have furnished $325,000 range. <br />them with what they feel MacGibbon tol~ the council <br />would be a fair buy-out price, that the Hohlen s have be <br />He said that total is "an. offered $1.25 per square <br /> <br />EIkRiver man-faces <br /> <br /> for their land, which includes <br /> the eight-acre trailer park. <br /> For the trailer park alone, <br /> that would amount to a selling <br /> price of about $450,000. <br /> <br /> 'You've got no one else <br /> to blame but yourself' <br /> Whether the city will step in <br /> and determine what is a fair <br /> payment for park tenants <br /> remains to be seen. <br /> 'This is a no-win situation <br /> for the City Council because <br /> this is not a development that <br /> the city is pushing in any <br /> manner or form whatsoever," <br /> Mayor Hank Duitsrrmn told <br /> park tenants at last week's <br /> council meeting. "It's strictly a <br /> matter between Earl and you <br /> people. It doesn't seem. like <br /> you're being treated fairly but. <br /> ~. I don't think the City <br /> ouncfl is in a position to <br /> determine what a fair payoffis <br /> for you people." . <br /> The City Council held a pub- <br /> .lic hearing on the park closure <br /> m November, as required by <br /> state law. <br /> The council agreed in <br /> November to revisit the issue <br /> in January and had hoped to <br /> see some progress in negotia- <br /> tions between Hohien and his <br /> tenants. <br /> "We gave you this time to <br /> come up with a proposal and <br /> .you're coming here with noth- <br /> ing, actually, tonight," Duits- <br /> man told MacGibbon and <br /> HoMe-- <br /> But MacGibbon said the ~act <br /> that they don't have a solu- <br /> tion, doesn't mean there has- <br /> n't been work done on the <br /> issue. <br /> Duitsrnan, however, wasn't <br />moved. <br /> You're forcing the city to <br />mM~e a solution tonight," he <br />told MacGibbon. "Tlmt solu- <br />tion, I don't think, is going to <br />be beneficial to your'client snd <br />ff the project doesn't go for~ <br />ward because of that, I fhink <br />you've got no one else to blame <br />but yourself." <br /> <br />anycb.arg.e_s_-after <br /> <br /> <br />