Trailer Park Problems
Union Gap trailer park problems
The city of Union Gap wants a trailer park owner to repair sewage problems, and reduce the number of police calls to the trailer park, or face having the business shut down.
Kevin Kask says since June of 2010, sewage coming from the trailer park next door to his home makes spending time in his back yard unbearable.
"We're talking about puddles, stagnant puddles that sit there for a couple of days, during the summertime when it gets over 100 degress, you can't even be out here," says Kask,
Union Gap City Development Coordinator Dave Spurlock says the sewage disposal system that serves the trailer park, breaks down on a regular basis.
"We've tried to work with the landlord, trying to get them to correct it, they haven't taken any initiative, so we've had to issue some notices," says Spurlock.
Those citations add up to around $11-thousand in fines. Trailer park owner Patty Dills says the sewage system isn't broken, and that her park is not to blame for her neighbor's problems.
"If he's getting water, it's coming from underground, if its coming from underground, I don't know anything about it, but it's not from our pump system," says Dills.
The city of Union Gap says sewage problems aren't the only cause for concern at this trailer park. The police department says it has responded to more than 60 calls to the park in one years time.
Acting Police Chief Greg Cobb says the department has found suspects wanted in drive-by shootings and homicides hiding at the park.
"It's a drain of resources because half of the calls for service at that property or properties, have been multiple officer responses," says Cobb.
The city declared the park a chronic nuisance, and is trying to get dills to clean up the property. Dills is fighting that declaration, and is appealing in Yakima County Superior Court.
"We got a list of the calls, we've checked them out, there were very, there were no gang problems, no fights," says Dills.
But Union Gap says if the park's problems aren't fixed, the city could shut down the park as a last resort.