Demolition underway at Evergreen Village Mobile Home Park

SYCAMORE – Melanie Watkins and her husband plan to always look at flood plain maps of the area when looking for a new home.

It’s something they never would have considered before spending 12 years at Evergreen Village Mobile Home Park, 955 E. State St. near Sycamore. They’re eager to get out of the park before any more flooding; Watkins said if it rains 3 inches, she has water in her home.

“Before, I always listened to the rain,” Watkins said. “I don’t even like the sound of it any more.”

After months of searching, Watkins and her husband have found that in the past few weeks many properties that would be in their price range have quickly been scooped up by other buyers. She’s concerned about finding a home that will fit their needs as DeKalb County leaders proceed with a buyout plan that will return the flood-prone mobile home park to open space.

Paul Miller, county planning, zoning and building director, said all but one of the 121 mobile homes has been bought as of Thursday; about a third of the mobile homes have been vacated. Residents have until April 30 to relocate, and county leaders have until June 30 to return it to open space.

About 12 of the units have been demolished, which includes testing each unit for asbestos and disconnecting utilities. Nine more will be demolished starting Monday.

After years of planning, county leaders have secured $7.1 million in state and federal emergency management grants to buy the property, relocate its residents, and return it to open space by June 30. Officials have budgeted about $3.7 million to relocate residents and about $1.9 million to purchase the mobile homes. The county bought the property for $1.47 million.

Caring for feral cats

As officials have been offering buyout and relocation plans to residents, Jane Kosek, president of DeKalb-based organization Fixin' Feral Felines, has been worried about the feral cats that populate the park, largely because they can take shelter under the trailers and because residents tend to feed them.

Kosek fears that as demolition work continues, the cats will seek different places to live in and around Sycamore. She has helped more than 100 feral cats at Evergreen Village, whether through spay and neuter, medicine or surgery.

She said she has been getting many calls from residents who are concerned about the animals’ well being. She has applied for grants to continue the project, which can cost $70 a cat, but has been denied. She estimated her organization has spent about $10,000 in the past year to help feral cats at the park.

Then, after some health issues of her own, Kosek decided to take a break, but hopes to start up again in a few weeks.

After seeing cats with eyes matted shut from illness and BB gun pellets in their sides, she wants to do what she can to help them, especially before they go looking for other homes. She hopes she can find more volunteers and money to fund the project before she starts up again.

“People have been calling us, we knew it was a real problem over there,” Kosek said. “It takes a lot of work, a lot of dedication.”

The county doesn’t have any current plans to deal with felines in the park.

“The main thrust of what we’re doing is helping the residents, helping them find a place to live,” Miller said. “Our attention and resources are focused on residents. Then we will focus on other issues, like demolition, and feral cats, if that’s one of those issues.”

Worries about looting and trash

Residents and Keith Anderson, county chief building inspector, said looting has been a problem in Evergreen Village as more people move out of the homes. Anderson said some people have been scrapping items in the park, which is not allowed because the park is county property.

Anderson said some larger items have been left behind in homes, like organs and TVs, and it’s just another issue the county needs to address. He said it’s important for residents to take their items with them when they leave, or to dispose of them properly.

Meanwhile at the beginning of fall, longtime Evergreen Village maintenance man Jeremiah Moore is awaiting another winter, which for him means bursting pipes and digging up water mains. Last winter, which he said was one of the coldest in his time at the park, meant he had to dig up seven water mains, which is more than he had done over seven years.

“I’ve lost so much sleep over 10 years,” said Moore, who is also a resident of the park. “It would be smart for people to get out before the winter.”

Moore is ready for his next chapter, which he hopes includes getting a home in Kirkland with his wife, mother-in-law, sister and sister’s child. He also hopes to find janitorial work.

“I’m ready for a new beginning, a new start,” Moore said.

By the numbers

121: Total mobile home units

120: Units purchased by DeKalb County

12: Units demolished

9: Units to be demolished next week

Fixin’ Feral Felines

More information: P.O. Box 230, DeKalb, IL 60115; 815-751-8227; FixinFeralFelines.org