Court order to fix mobile home park extended

Sito Negron

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | 10:53 a.m.

A court order to fix problems at Sky-Vue Mobile Park was extended until May 4 during a court hearing today.

Las Vegas Municipal Judge Bert Brown this morning gave owners of the troubled trailer park three more weeks to clean up conditions that were called "injurious to the public health" in a temporary order last week.

Health district officials today assured the judge that Las Vegas officials were working on temporary housing for residents who have been displaced, though it was not clear who would pay for the housing.

Brown said it was up to the city to make sure the residents have a place to stay, "then we can argue about who pays for it."

Owners Sandi and David DiMarco said they were satisfied with the judge's decision.

"All we asked was to give us reasonable time," Sandi DiMarco said.

A group of residents gathered in the courtroom supporting the DiMarcos.

Multiple inspections by the city since August, and more recently, by the state of Nevada and the Clark County Board of Health, noted faulty wiring, blocked exits, broken windows, and leaking sewer pipes and water lines, an investigation by the Las Vegas Sun found.

A temporary court order had been issued Friday in response to a Clark County Health District request, telling the owners to make immediate repairs. That order prompted a visit by a team of top Las Vegas city officials over the weekend to explain to Sky-Vue residents what was happening and to give them the option of taking vouchers for up to five days at a Budget Suites while their homes are being repaired.

Over the weekend residents at Sky-Vue had mixed opinions about what was happening. While a good number left, many stayed.

For those who left, one worry was about what would happen after the five-day vouchers ran out.

The health district's application for the Friday court order asserted that raw sewage was leaking from multiple sewer lines and pooling under and adjacent to occupied trailers, where hoses that brought water into the trailers lay. It also states that electricity to most units is obtained through extension cords, "which are not meant to be the source of primary power to a residence."

Many of the cords lay on "bare wet ground, creating risks of both electrocution and fire," according to the application, which also notes that electrical panels are unprotected.

In addition the health district alleged the trailers in the park -- some rented and others owned by their occupants, who lease the space -- were in generally poor condition, with many having problems ranging from holes in the floors and ceilings to damaged doors and windows.

The park has been operating without a business license since October and has been under orders to install fire hydrants and make other safety improvements for more than 18 months.