LINCOLN, Del. - People living in Pine Haven were surprised with a new notice handed to them on Thursday, a notice that shortens their time to move out from three years to as little as 15 days.
Christine Thompson is one of the almost 50 people still living in the community who will be expected to leave. This was certainly a message from management she was not prepared for, "It's kind of a shock...and I'm not usually anxious about anything but it is a big move for me at 74 and I'm disabled. So those kinds of things don't help.."
In a statement from the General Manager of Pine Haven, Harvey Elliot, he said, "When Blue Beach Bungalows DE, LLC acquired Pine Haven Campground, less than five months ago, many of its water and sewer issues were not immediately apparent. As these issues became manifest, we embarked on a series of improvements – in consultation with DNREC -designed to correct these issues at a pace that would minimize short term dislocation to our residents. The recent and more assertive involvement of DNREC at the site has forced us to accelerate the pace of these improvements. This has, in turn, forced us to accelerate the return of the property back to its intended and permitted use as a seasonal campground and to request that residents vacate the property so that work on a much larger scale can commence. This ongoing effort remains the top priority for ownership and the property management team, and we look forward to creating a much more inviting campground."
According to Title 25 Chapter 70, mobile home communities looking to terminate their leases can do so with giving those living there a year's notice, but Pine Haven is not recognizing those in campers and RV's as such.
Joy Kaiser lives in Pine Haven in a camper, "Fifteen days is not a whole lot of time for people that are sick, handicapped, don't have the money yet, or anything else. It's ridiculous."
Pine Haven was recently given a Notice of Violation from DNREC for water and sewage issues that led to sewage pooling in people's yards and running water that was discolored and had a potent smell. Those issues still persist but the owners have until March 10 to fix them according to the notice.
Those living in Pine Haven are organizing a meeting with local officials to discuss relocation options on Friday at 9 a.m.