Carper
CHARLESTON -- In a last-ditch effort to clean up a trailer park in Sissonville, Kanawha County officials have gone to circuit court requesting permission to gain entry to the park.
"We've gone through the process we have under state law to remove some of the dilapidated structures in the trailer park," Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said.
Carper and other commissioners have been receiving numerous complaints from residents living near Aultz Trailer Park since 2004, he said.
"I've had about as many complaints on this as I've had on the water company attempting to raise rates," Carper said.
At first, county officials tried to work with Mary Aultz, the owner of the park, to clean up the park.
But after Aultz went back on her commitment to clean the park, county officials started a formal procedure to place a lien on the property.
Again, Aultz promised to clean up the park and to get rid of mobile homes, some that contained asbestos, Carper said.
However, nothing has happened, so Kanawha County's sheriffs deputies and state police went to the property earlier this week to demolish mobile homes and to clean up the park.
Aultz did not want county officials on property, so they headed to Kanawha Circuit Court for an order allowing them on the property to tear down mobile homes, Carper said.
"We're making sure we're following due process to the letter of the law," he said.
To the best of Carper's knowledge, there are no residents currently residing in the park, he said.
"We try to avoid that when we can," he said.
The case has been assigned to Judge Irene Berger.