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Resident urges town to consider ordinance to protect mobile-home park residents after severe water damage
Summary
Val Philbrook told the council she is circulating a petition and handed staff a model ordinance to require park owners who close parks to help residents with relocation costs; she described water intrusion and infrastructure failure in Old Orchard Village and urged the town to consider options including preserving land for affordable housing.
Val Philbrook, a resident of Old Orchard Beach, told the council during public comment that she's gathering signatures for a petition to propose a town ordinance modeled on a California law that would require mobile-home park owners who close a park (not sell it) to assist residents with relocation costs.
"What it is, it's an ordinance that we got from California which would if a park owner decided to close a park, not sell a park, but close a park... we would have to vacate the premises in 2 months, and, we would get nothing in terms of any sort of moving expenses," Philbrook said, describing the risk that residents could be displaced without financial help.
Philbrook said petition efforts have produced nearly 170 signatures so far and that an additional 400–500 signatures would be needed to place the measure on a local ballot next June. She also described recent, serious water problems in Old Orchard Village and on streets such as Bruceau and Rousseau, where standing water has damaged lawns, undermined yards and left structures waterlogged: "I needed a pair of boots. There was so much water. I never seen anything like it," she said.
Philbrook asked staff to accept the petition materials and suggested the council consider options ranging from a relocation-assistance ordinance to the town acquiring land and building affordable housing as a possible long-term solution.
Council members thanked Philbrook and asked staff to review the petition and sample ordinance text. No formal council action or referral was recorded at the meeting; the petition and ordinance draft were handed to staff for consideration.
What happens next: staff will accept the petition materials and may brief council or bring options back for discussion or formal introduction in a later meeting.
