Tenants in Salmon forced to vacate mobile home park

Several tenants at a mobile home park in Salmon have just weeks to pick up everything and move because of something that they said should have been fixed years ago.

Lisa Moon bought her trailer in Stoneridge Mobile Home Park four and a half years ago.

“Even though it wasn’t much, at least I owned it,” Moon said.

She and several others were given vacate notices, which gave them 30 days to leave.

“Now I don’t really know what I’m going to do,” Moon said.

The day before they got the vacate notice, residents received a letter warning of a septic problem. Past letters from park management point to a septic system issue as early as 2008. It’s now left tenants with no water for 20 hours a day.

Charlotte White bought her trailer inside Stoneridge Mobile Home Park in 2008. She said rent has been increased several times to solve the septic problem and pay for WiFi that she said nobody ever got

“It was going up $25 each time,” said White, adding that she is not behind on her rent.

Now, with a broken foot, White is being told to pack up her trailer and be gone by Feb. 15.

“To give us 30 days, really?” White said. “We were your tenants for how long? I think that’s what makes me the maddest.”

Local News 8 and KIDK Eyewitness News reached out to the owner of the park, Steve Nafus, through his attorney and his wife. We were told that he declined comment.

Nathan Taylor, environmental health supervisor at Eastern Idaho Public Health District, said the district is working with the park to solve the septic system problem. He said the district has not ordered that the park be vacated.

“It’s ridiculous,” tenant Monica Swanson said.

“You’ve got to find a place to live or a place for your trailer, and move it all out,” Swanson said. “It’s wintertime.”

Moon, White and Swanson said they should have more time to move, given that the septic system has been a long-running problem. The trio agrees that 90 days would be more practical.

“That’s time to at least get my things out of here, and that would put us in the springtime,” White said.

The tenants have appointments in Salmon with Idaho Legal Aid on Feb. 13, just two days before they’re supposed to vacate the park.