FAIR?
March 8, 2017
To: Chatham
County Manager’s Office and County Commisisoners
Re: Solid
Waste Services for Property Damaged by Hurricane at 9902 Ferguson Ave.
LANDINGS RESIDENTS AND GATED COMMUNITIES RECEIVE
PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT OVER MOBILE HOME OWNERS?
Dear
Mr. Smith,
INTRODUCTION: I have not yet had the privilege of meeting
you. Thank you for your commitment and all
you do for our county.
My firm represents the property
owners, families and residents of 9902 Ferguson Avenue, Marsh Point Homes.
We
also represent Savannah Real Estate Investments, Inc., the Management Company
for Marsh Point Homes―a residential Mobile Home community located at 9902
Ferguson Ave.
REPUTABLE
COMPANY, LAND OWNERS, FAMILIES, RESIDENTS, TAXPAYERS AND VOTERS:
RESIDENTS:
The residents consist of 191 families. These hardworking folks are mostly low
income or laborers, many are skilled laborers. The park residents own their own
homes (modular /mobile home). They each pay tag/taxes/fees on their homes to
Chatham County.
MANAGEMENT:
Marsh Point Homes is well managed. The owners takes pride in it being one of
the cleanest, best kept and safest parks in the county. The management company employs 2 property
managers, a maintenance staff, security, a book-keeper and many outside
vendors.
LANDOWNERS:
The park / subdivision is locally owned. The property owners own many other
residential and commercial properties and pay substantial property taxes to Chatham
County.
REQUEST
FOR HELP AND FAIR TREATMENT FROM DEVASTATING HURRICANE DAMAGES:
This
letter is to notify you that solid waste services are needed at the 9902
Ferguson Avenue property. This request
has been made repeatedly over the last 4 months.
As
a result of Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016, this residential mobile home
park experienced serious and devastating damages. Over 125 trees were damaged
or destroyed/killed throughout the entire 37 acres.
Complete trees failed and large limbs
failed:
Ø
Damaging
and destroying the homes of many families
Ø
Blocking
roadways
Ø
Destroying:
ü
power
poles
ü
Electrical
boxes and meters
ü
Septic
tanks, drain-fields
ü
Water
systems and water lines.
NO
HELP FROM INSURANCE OR FEMA:
The
hurricane and wind damage “deductibles” on the homes exceed the costs of
repairs to the homeowners, so their homeowner policies paid nothing.
The
insurance policy of the landowners did not cover the mobile homes, because they
are owned by the residents.
FEMA
denied the request for assistance.
The
landowners have spent over $150,000.00, out of pocket, on tree removal (from
roads and homes) and sewer repairs from the storm. The homeowners have
experienced substantial out of pocket costs for their home repairs due to
falling trees.
The
management company leased commercial generators and had the water system up for
the families within hours and days before Georgia Power arrived.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES?
Following the
hurricane the county voted and approved service to the landings and other gated
and private communities?
We
are told by the county that mobile homeowners will receive no county debris
removal service?
WHAT
COUNTY SERVICES ARE PROVIDED FOR THE TAXES PAID BY LAND OWNERS AND FAMILIES?
What do the tax
payers receive in county provided services for their taxes?
Most
utilities are NOT available at 9902 Ferguson Avenue. Unlike
the landowner’s properties located in Savannah City limits, this property
receives almost no services.
The landowner pays property taxes. The residents /
families pay Mobile home taxes, tags and fees.
Ø
NO COUNTY WATER: The property
does not receive county water. The owners must provide their own well and water
system. Last year alone over $100,000.00 was spent on the well system.
Ø
NO COUNTY GARBAGE SERVICE: The Park pays a
private refuse company each month.
Ø
NO COUNTY PROVIDED SEWER SYSTEM: The Park owners have a self-paid septic
system and drain fields provided to each home owner.
Ø
NO COUNTY PROVIDED ROAD WAYS: The landowners
paid for all paving, resurfacing and roadway maintenance.
Ø
NO COUNTY PROVIDED FIRE SERVICES: The landowners
pay a separate fee for fire services to an outside vendor.
Ø
DRAINAGE DITCH MAINTENANCE: The county-owned
drainage ditches are almost always in need of lawn service and cleaning. Often
the landowners performs these services at their own expense.
Why
should my clients have to load and remove the remaining hurricane debris, haul
it to the dump and pay a fee to the county for dumping it? This debris removal service was provided to
the landings and other gated communities by the county at no cost?
Again,
what exactly do the landowners, families/residents receive for all of their
county paid taxes?
ONLY ONE VISIT BY COUNTY AND WORK
NOT COMPLETED DESPITE PROMISES:
Since
the storm in October, 4 months ago, the county has only visited the property
once. At that time, County employees told residents that they would return to
remove the remaining branches and debris.
It is now March of 2017, as of today, the
county has not returned to assist with the clean-up, as they promised the homeowners.
The
county has been contacted on numerous occasions by the management company to no
avail.
Homeowners and residents
who have contacted the county have been told that the County will not return. The County stopped
all cleaning after the first of February. They reported to residents that they
were “so busy that they never had a
chance to stop by the mobile home park”.
IMPROPER COMMUNICATIONS BY COUNTY
EMPLOYEES:
County employees are telling the residents that the Management
Company is responsible and that the homeowners can take my other clients to court
and win.
The county is neglecting
the property, failing to provide services and County representatives are frivolously
offering legal advice?
In addition employees
at the county are telling the management that trailer parks are not serviced by
the county. The county and its vendors have been seen collecting hurricane
debris in other mobile home parks.
The landowners, residents, homeowners and families all
pay taxes and deserve the same services as other communities within the County.
IMMEDIATE
ATTENTION?:
On behalf of the
landowners, families and management company, we are requesting that a County
representative be sent to the property as soon as possible to complete the
removal of the debris.
We would like to show the homeowners
that the county is equally concerned with its low-income neighborhoods as they
are the wealthy gated communities.
The
solid waste division should handle the debris removal clean up that is genuinely
needed for our residents.
I am confident that this is simply an
error or a misunderstanding and the County leaders will step up and resolve
this matter.
Please help us to resolve this issue immediately.
Thank
you for your kind attention to this matter.
Make
it a great day!
Sincerely,
Howard E. Spiva
Howard E. Spiva,
HES/mm
cc: Robert W/ Drewry,
Director, Public Works, Solid Waste Division,
R.
Jonathan Hart, County Attorney,
Jennifer
R. Burns, Assistant County Attorney,
Albert J. Scott,
Chairman
Commissioner Helen L.
Stone, District 1,
Commissioner James J.
Holmes, District 2,
Commissioner Bobby
Lockett, District 3,
Commissioner Patrick K.
Farrell, District 4,
Commissioner Tabitha
Odell, District 5,
Commissioner James “Jay”
Jones, District 6,
Commissioner Dean
Kicklighter, District 7,
Commissioner Chester A.
Ellis, District 8,
Michael A. Kaigler, Assistant County Manager,
Linda B. Cramer, Assistant County Manager,
Labels: attorney, Chatham County, Chatham County Manager’s Office, county manager, hurricane, mobile homes, services, taxes