Residents of Hillcourt Estates cheered as city council took the mobile home park off the surplus list Monday night.
The majority of council voted in favour of the resolution at Monday night’s regular scheduled council meeting at city hall. Only Coun. Mark Bentz, Rebecca Johnson and Brian McKinnon voted against taking the mobile park off the surplus list.
Council had discussed pushing the matter back another week in order in order to ask more questions, but when that failed to gain ground, council moved to make a decision.
Audrey Mackenzie has lived on Taylor Drive since 1987 and criticized both mayor Keith Hobbs and councillors for how they have been treating residents at the park. She said she has asked all at-large councillors and the mayor to come and take a walk in the trailer park, but so far they haven’t done so.
“This has been going on three times now,” Mackenzie said.
“I am very disappointed with the council. The one councillor who has done anything for us is Neebing Coun. Linda Rydholm.
“She seems to be the only one who really cares. I am very happy with the decision. When this goes through I am going to hope that this park will stay a mobile park. I don’t know if I can do it or not but my fighting is not through yet.”
She added that if city officials came down to visit the mobile park they wouldn’t need to ask questions.
Eric Leat, who also lives in the mobile park, had asked at a previous public meeting three weeks ago why Hillcourt Estates was on the surplus list. He received a response that the park was not on the surplus list and city officials were only letting council know that a buyer expressed interest.
“I think there’s something a little underhanded here,” Leat said.
“I’m very pleased about the decision, but in 2004 the city solicitor advised the city at the time to take (Hillcourt) off the surplus list forever. Here we go again, we’re back on the surplus list. Who do they think we are? Fools? I’m very happy it’s not being sold. It shouldn’t be sold. We’re making money for this God damn city.”
