Evictions of problematic residents and the removal of dilapidated homes are among the valued improvements the Churchill Group of Carbondale, Colorado have made at the Regency East and West manufactured home communities (MHCs) in Willmar, MN. “We’ve gotten rid of a lot of the (problematic) people that the former manager let in. They’ve been evicted,’’ said Kim Fedders to the Willmar City Council’s Community Development Committee. Fedders has managed the Willmar communities during the last three years.

The WCTrib tells MHProNews that: “Bruce Peterson, city planning and development director, said live electric meters and pedestals that were no longer needed have been cleaned up.” Peterson also said the state electrical inspector came in and worked with management to get everything electrical to meet code.

Fedder’s easily explained the value of having and following procedures for approving new residents and for following the guidelines for living.

“But now that we’re following procedure, everybody that comes in gets credit checked. Everybody that comes in gets a criminal check. If you don’t pass it, you don’t pass it. I don’t bend the rules and the tenants have responded. They’re so grateful. They want their community to look just as nice as I want their community to look. They’re open with us. They’re fair with us. We’re fair with them.’’

Stories like this from Willmar, MN are more the rule nationally rather than the exception touted in local headlines, such as “From Moscow, With Love” published last week.

More sophisticated consumers of news know the media’s unspoken mantra, ‘if it bleeds, it leads.‘ “Bad news” stories tend to dominate, while good news in manufactured home community living is all too often overlooked. David Little’s WCTrib account of improvements and resident appreciation reveals that good management and residents working together to resolve issues results in nicer and still affordable living for all involved. ##

(Photo credit: WCTrib)