Neighbors nostalgic as Sky-Vue tumbles

Molly Ball

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004 | 11:13 a.m.

Sitting in the shade on the curb outside the Salvation Army building, Chris Stepelton listened to the crashing and whirring of the Sky-Vue trailer park being torn down next door.

"I try not to watch," said the 45-year-old woman, whose home is the Salvation Army shelter. "It's kind of depressing."

On Monday, a single front-end loader began the demolition that will wipe out the five-acre park's 100 trailers. Since the dilapidated facility was evacuated in April because of myriad violations of health and safety codes, it has been the site of four fires.

Piloting the front-end loader between crumpled piles of metal and debris -- some of them charred -- a worker at the site on Monday said the demolition would take about two weeks.

Also on Monday, the corporation that owns Sky-Vue -- West Owens LLC -- filed for bankruptcy, according to court papers. The bankruptcy filing delayed foreclosure on the property, scheduled for this week, until Oct. 13.

Sky-Vue's owners, Sandi and David DiMarco, owe Las Vegas about $204,000 for the evacuation, the demolition, and security at the site, city spokesman David Riggleman said.

On Wednesday, the City Council is expected to approve spending $32,256 for the six security guards -- four of them armed -- who have been guarding the site for about three weeks.

The DiMarcos also owe thousands in fines to the city and county for code violations.

"I think there's a sense of relief on our part," Riggleman said of the demolition. "We were always afraid it was an accident waiting to happen out there."

Stepelton, one of dozens of homeless people lining the sidewalk in the area around the shelter, said she had a friend who lived at the park years ago. "I'm surprised it took this long to do something about it," she said of the conditions at the park. "It's been like that for a long time."

But even as an abandoned firetrap, the park served a purpose, said 60-year-old Charlie Water, sipping beer from a 40-ounce can on the sidewalk in front of the property. After the park was condemned, he "used to stay there every once in a while, especially when it rains," he said.

Without Sky-Vue, people who can't get into the shelter have nowhere to go, he said. "We sleep on the streets until the cops come and kick us out at five o'clock in the morning," he said.

If the park hadn't been allowed to deteriorate so badly, it might still be keeping people off the street, Water said. "They're doing a good thing tearing it down now, but a lot of people had good trailers in there," he said.

While most people in the area said it was about time Sky-Vue came down, some were nostalgic nonetheless.

"I'm going to miss that park. It's part of history," said 50-year-old Jesse Stitt. "It's been up there a long time."

Every trailer park that closes narrows the options for the poor, Stitt said. "People need places to stay, and it's getting worse," he said. "A lot of people get turned away" from the shelter.

"We need more affordable housing for the homeless," he said.

The future of the property won't be known until it is sold at auction. "We expect it to sell shortly. There are bidders," co-owner David DiMarco said.

DiMarco would not name the bidders, nor would he comment on the bankruptcy.

Riggleman said the city had not yet been notified of the bankruptcy filing, but he hoped Las Vegas would still be able to recover its costs.

"Our attorneys feel that government entities have high priority, and we'll be very aggressive," he said.

The city declared the park an imminent hazard after the latest fire, on Aug. 25. The DiMarcos were to contract for the demolition themselves, but the contractor they hired didn't have the necessary permits, Riggleman said.