Mapleton Mobile-izers

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The Mapleton Mobile-izer is issued quarterly, following the MHA membership meetings. Special editions are issued as needed, for example before a quarterly meeting where MHA members will be voting for executives or making an important decision...


MHA BLOG Volume 1.3 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] November 1996

CITY APPROVES MAPLETON PARK PURCHASE
Inside This Issue



City approves Mapleton Park purchase
by the editors
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At the October 29th session of the Boulder City Council, the council approved unanimously the contract to purchase Mapleton Mobile Home Park from owner Lu Nuttall for $3.5 million. According to a memo presented to the Council by the Department of Housing and Human Services, the plan is to preserve Mapleton as a mobile home park.
Mark Reeder, President of our Mapleton Home Association stated that this was a great day for the residents of Mapleton Park. "The future of Mapleton as a mobile home park has been secured. We now have the chance to work with the City of Boulder on an innovative project to create permanently affordable low and moderate income housing using existing homes." Mark further explained, "The city has not guaranteed the residents ownership, but they will help us and through our diligent efforts we can own this park."
When asked how the residents could afford to purchase the park, Mark explained that the MHA is not eligible to assume the City's loan to purchase the park from Lu, but we can refinance the balance of the City's loan after the City has finished with the flood relief work on Goose Creek and other infrastructure improvements. "The city is expected to complete Goose Creek and infrastructure repairs by 2001-2002. At the end of that time, the residents of Mapleton Park working through their resident association, the MHA, would need to obtain a loan to pay the balance of the City's $3.5 million purchase."
Cindy Pieropan, from the Department of Housing and Human Services, explained that the residents' rents for the first five years would go towards payment of the note to Lu Nuttall. If and when we achieve ownership through our organization we would pay off only the balance of that loan.
Mark Reeder said, "The City's plans for Mapleton means the residents would not be paying for the park twice."
Closing on the property is tentatively scheduled for January 10, 1997.

City Memo: Excerpts from a memo from five city departments to the city council for the meeting of October 29, 1996

by the City Council

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TITLE of AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of a motion to approve the contract to purchase Mapleton Mobile Home Park.

Ownership

The Flood Control Utility shall have the initial responsibility for owning Mapleton. Flood Control Utility funds shall be used to make the down payment on the property. Once the channel work through Mapleton is completed, the Flood Control Utility shall then have the option of transfering ownership.....

Management

Staff from the departments of Public Works and Housing and Human Services shall jointly oversee the operation of the park. Staff intends to hire an outside management firm, from either the non-profit or private sector, and will invite at least one resident to assist in the selection of that firm. Staff has stated to the residents that we do not anticipate any changes, in the short term, to the way the park has been managed in the past. Staff has also stated that, due to liability issues, the City would not consider allowing the residents to manage the park while the City owns it.

It shall be a requirement of any management firm that is hired that they create a method for receiving and utilizing resident input regarding issues of concern or interest to the residents. Staff has stated their desire to the residents that there be some sort of resident advisory council with which to work on management issues in the park.

The rent increase this year was $15 per month, or 6%. The Consumer Price Index for housing was 5.2% for the first half of this year. For purposes of estimating expected income, we kept the increase for the year at $15/month through the end of the note payment schedule. This results in a percentage increase that declines from 5.6% at the beginning of the note to 3.8% at the end of the note. The large amounts of the first two note payments, $350,000 and $650,000 respectively, means that the project requires relatively more cash in the early years if it is to cover its costs.

Before considering any offer to purchase the park by the residents, staff believes that it is important for the City to clearly communicate the conditions under which it would consider such a transaction. Staff proposes to return to Council within six months of closing on the property with a resolution that provides the conditions and terms under which resident ownership or any other form of non-profit ownership would be acceptable to the City. Staff will provide technical assistance to the residents, generally supporting them in their efforts to attain eventual resident ownership of the park.

Flood Mitigation and Riparian Management During the process of formulating conceptual ideas for the portion of the Goose Creek Improvement project through the Mapleton Mobile Home Park, several issues and concerns will be addressed. These issues relate to the most hydraulically efficient channel that can be constructed, that will look as natural as possible, and allow for the minimal amount of disruption and relocation of residents in the park. The intent of the Goose Creek project is to create a wetland, riparian environment that can be enjoyed as a passive recreation area for commuters, pedestrians, and the adjacent property owners. In addition to this goal, access across the creek will be provided within the mobile home park to insure adequate emergency vehicle access and local circulation through the park.

Approved by
Stephen T. Honey
City Manager


Exec speaks out
By Mark Reeder
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by Mark Reeder, President MHA
Throughout the City's negotiations to purchase Mapleton Mobile Home Park, the Department of Housing's staff has been guided by the following goal: 'Preservation of Mapleton as a well managed, permanently affordable mobile home park under some form of non-profit or public ownership.' The MHA can be that non-profit entity. We are now a recognized non-profit corporation in the State of Colorado. Moreover, the Department of Housing has agreed that we have a legitimate claim to own the land our homes rest on. And, they have agreed to provide us technical help for a resident buyout.
At the latest MHA quarterly meeting, many of you remember that Cindy Pieropan told the residents that the City supported the efforts of the Mapleton Home Association to purchase the park. Furthermore, she stated that the residents would have to do the work to obtain ownership. Well, that ownership is within our grasp. We do have a lot of work to do.
Block captains will be coming by your homes to talk to you about the important tasks that lie ahead. A Resident Advisory Committee will be working closely with the city and the management team to make certain that management of Mapleton Park is fair and equitable. Finally, Tink Wilson presents, in this issue of the newsletter (see p. 2), a program for voluntary contributions by MHA members. These contributions will go only to pay for legal and financial costs to complete a resident buyout. Estimates of costs range from $5000 to $10,000. If all members pay a voluntary monthly contribution of between $5 and $10, we can raise the money in one to two years.
Our dream of resident ownership will happen. With the Department of Housing's support and our own determined work we can own the land our homes rest on. We can work with the city to forge an innovative program of resident ownership of permanently affordable housing for low and moderate income families.

You gotta believe.

Meet your neighbor - an interview with Mark Reeder & Debbie Kranzler
By Habiba and Kabir

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Habiba: How long have you folks lived in the park?

Debbie: I've been here for nine years and Mark has been here for ten, right? Mark: Yes, I came in July of 1986. I came to study a martial art called Aikido with Hiroshi Ikeda.

Debbie: And in June of 1987 I moved here. We were living in #50, where Holly lives now, and we got married in the back yard, in August.

Mark: I'm from Sioux City, Iowa and Debbie is from the Bay Area but we met in Seattle in 1981. We met while training in Aikido. We had a lot of fun saying goofy little things to one another during workouts.

Debbie: We use to flirt a lot, so when it actually became serious no one even noticed - we were always pretty silly together anyway...

Kabir: We won-dered how you came to the decision to step into the middle of the MHA?

Mark: I came to the first steering committee meeting and when I came home, I remember saying to Debbie, 'It was a great meeting, everyone is really enthusiastic. And I said I want to be a part of it, I would love that the residents own this park. I want to try to do this.' Debbie really supported me in the decision of stepping forward. We all worked very hard and when we finally did get the MHA up and running, we had to work out who would run for the Board of Directors. All of us wanted to continue working like a team; it really was a community effort.

Debbie: The roles have evolved since then, everybody has taken on more responsibility, in what seems to me a very positive way. It wasn't Mark's life long ambition to be a resident association president! A very new role... Mark: It has been a really interesting experience for me. Through all of this, I will bounce a lot of ideas off of Debbie. See, she was a faciliator and mediator at the City, a volunteer for four years. So what you see when I am up in front of a room is a lot of the work that Debbie's put in, telling me how to do these things.

Debbie: We do a lot of processing behind the scenes on how to present issues and how to build consensus.

Mark: But getting back to your original question, I want this! I want all the residents to have that security of having a piece of land. And especially after Lu decided to sell, there were all these scenarios... I said to myself, there is only one really good solution and that's if we own it.

Habiba: Would you tell us about your work Debbie?

Debbie: I'm an account manager at Consumer Health. I'm a link between the people on the phones and the administrators of the hospitals who are our clients. Another thing I do is I teach self defense, a full contact women's self-defense course called Options.

K & H: And if you have any spare time?

Debbie: That's kind of taken up with doing Aikido.

Mark: That, plus doing our own work, but we also like to windsurf, which we do on vacation, and flat water kayaking...

Kabir: Are there life changes that you have noticed since MHA started ?

Mark: Wow, when we first started off it was sort of slap-dash. We would put something together and put in a couple of hours on it. Now, I would say that I am averaging 10 - 15 hours per week. Sometimes I'll spend a whole day. The other thing is just the education involved. For instance, I don't know very much about ownership of land. I thought, how do you do it?
It's been a lot of changes. I find myself listening more now, which is different for me. I do carpentry and work in a cabinet shop part time. I have that contractor sort of mentality; let's get this job done! I realize that I don't have all the tools to get the job done and so I have to go and find out what the tools are. It's such a steep learning curve that everybody has to help.

Habiba: What about you, Debbie?

Debbie: Just getting to know more people in the park has been a wonderful benefit. It's been really fun to watch Mark in his role, as he develops leadership skills. I don't have the same passion for buying the park that Mark does. I'm glad that it is happening and I'm willing to support, but I don't have the same drive that Mark has.

Mark: We all do what we can do.

Debbie: That's what community is about.

Mark: That's what's changing for the community: it's how people are saying, wait a minute, we can own this park. That's been real exciting to watch.

Gettin' Serious
By Tink (Alex) Wilson

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So far, the MHA has gotten a lot of mileage on volunteer energy and a few people contributing money here and there. But it's obvious to most people that our effort to buy out the park is going to take some more serious money - mainly for legal and financial costs.
Where is it going to come from? Mark is working on a grant, but the people who are involved have come to the realization that we're going to have to dig down and come up with some money from our own pockets. When the subject came up at the October 8th meeting at Unity Church, Werner Stepanov (#84) asked for a show of hands. Of 40 people in attendance, 35 agreed on the need to contribute money in the form of yearly dues! Within two days, five people sought us out and made sizable contributions before being asked! They believe in the importance of this project. The cause is worth it! The support is there! Public radio stations raise money through voluntary yearly donations. So can we!
We're suggesting $5, $10 or $15 a month, depending on what each person can afford. Most of us are low income and that's one reason why we're here - but we're talking the price of a monthly movie or a modest dinner out. Please consider doing what you can. It's an investment in securing our own homes! You can contact:

Mark Reeder # 14 444-4140
Tink Wilson # 54 447-8508
Don Lucas # 34 442-3081 or
Jana Bashor # 47 545-2567
with your donation.

The block captains also will be available to take contributions. You can make out one check for the year or you can arrange an AFT (automatic fund transfer) monthly from your bank account to the MHA account which has been set up at Bank of Colorado (at Crossroads) for this purpose. (account # 194312686638; routing # 1020000). Don Lucas, our Treasurer, will publish a financial accounting in each issue of The Mobilizer. It will be used for strictly essential expenses only.
It's time for us all to step forward and do our share. A small amount by everyone will make all the difference.

Block Captains 'R' us!
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by Jana Bashor, Captain of Block Captains

By now you may know who your Block Captain is. They are Jonathan Machen*, Robert Doster*, Kurt Reber, Maria Downing, Tink Wilson*, Habiba & Kabir, Ron Marcus, Otto Koch and Keith Anderson*. Thank you to all the Block Captains and special thanks to those serving Park Lanes other than where they live! These are indicated by a *.
What you might not know is that we need three more volunteers to serve as Block Captains: for Lane 6 (lot numbers 57-64), Lane 10 (lot #s 154-166, and Lane 11 (lot #s 167-175). Please call Jana @ 545-2567 if you would like to be a block captain for one of these. As Jonathan, Robert, Tink and Keith can attest, you do not have to live in one of these lanes to volunteer!
The purpose of this program is to reliably distribute information to each home in the park. The Block Captains will also take information from your home back to the Steering Committee. If you have questions for the Steering Committee, give them to your Block Captain and you will get your answer.
Do you have suggestions for things that you think the Block Captains could be doing? Please call Jana with your suggestions @ 545-2567.

Flood Control Project update
By Mike Figgs

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The City of Boulder is moving forward with the Goose Creek flood control project. On August 13 City Council approved the plan proposed by the Public Works Department, which includes containing the 100 year flood event - a projected worst case scenario. City Council did not approve the request by MHA members for staff to consider reduced options that would create less disruption in our mobile home park; City Council said they will not authorize flood control projects that contain less than 100 year flood events. Council directed staff to work with mobile home park residents to minimize the number of homes that would be removed by the project, and to address the construction of at least one vehicular traffic bridge across Goose Creek, since the existing bridges will be removed by the project.
In flooding rains, the run off from Linden Avenue and Pine Brook Hills that usually disappears into storm drains could flood through the city and collect in Goose Creek south of Unity Church. The City's Goose Creek Flood Control Project would contain it from there East.
According to Terry Rogers, the Public Works Department's Goose Creek project manager, the City has hired an engineering firm, McLaughlin Water Engineers, Ltd, to conduct surveys to locate utility lines and ditch easements, and create engineering grade plans. You may have seen their surveyors in the park the past few months. The firm will also analyze up-stream hydrology to confirm previous flood calculations and determine any changes in project design that will need to be made before final plans are completed.
Once this information is compiled, the City will move forward with a conceptual design. At that time, the City intends to request comments from interested mobile home park residents. Based upon these comments and engineering considerations, alternative designs will be created and packaged with the City's Community and Environmental Assessment Process (CEAP).
Then CEAP begins the formal public review and approval process. The conceptual design and CEAP will be reviewed by the Water Resources Advisory Board, a citizen advisory panel, early next year. Once this review is completed, a final plan will be drafted and returned to the Water Resources Advisory Board for final approval.
City Council has the option of 'calling up' the Advisory Board's decision, if Council wants to conduct additional public review or change the plan. The CEAP is a public process that is open to additional comment by MHA members and other mobile home park residents.

Minutes from the MHA Quarterly meeting, October 8, 1996
By the editors

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Ms Cindy Pieropan from the City's Department of Housing and Human Services fielded questions during the first portion of the meeting. In a question about Goose Creek, a resident asked if the flood channel meant that the park would be divided permanently into two unconnected parts. Ms. Pieropan explained that a vehicular bridge would connect the two halves. The bridge was necessary in order for the City not to violate its own subdivision regulations. Asked about a resident purchase, Ms. Pieropan explained, that the hardest work is in creating a viable association with rules, policies and goals capable of running the park. Moreover, the MHA would need to demonstrate to the City financial stability. The residents have to do the work themselves to show they are capable of a successful and sustained ownership.
The City still needs to decide what 'affordable' means for a mobile home park, where ownership of land and units are separate - the discussion then switched to what is affordable housing. Affordable housing is based on income. For a single adult this would be $24,000.

More info

The Mapleton Mobile-izer is published quarterly by the Mapleton Home Association and is distributed free to all residents of Mapleton Mobile Home Park.