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• Officials for Gaslit mobile home park differ with tenants over context of eviction..i' •By Joel Mathis)qu»nal-Woki.d Writer _i .. iNo one disputes that Kelii Burtrum failed to pay her full rent on time to Gaslight Village in March. That's why a judge ordered Friday that she be evicted from the mobile home park.But what does the eviction mean?Burtrum and her supporters suggest it's the first iii a wave of evictions designed to make room for a big business on the property at 1900 W. 31st — and that perhaps Burtrum was singled out for talking about the issue with the Lawrence Journal-World.I think in the big picture/ Gaslight is trying to open up some spaces/' Bruce Plenk, Burtrum’s attorney, said after Friday's hearing. Their lawyer didn't say that and management didn't say that, but obviously it's in that context.But Chris Masoner, Gaslight's attorney, said the eviction didn't have any larger context.She didrrt pay her rent, he said.And Micki Demaline, manager of the park, said Burtrum's home isn't in the target area for thebusiness, anyway.She's in anunaffected area, Demaline said.Mid-America Mobile Home cominunity owns Gaslight and Brookwood Mobile Home Community. It is attempting to receive a zoning clearance so that part of the west end of Gaslight can be developed into a Home Depot.In the meantime, residents of the park say, Gaslight has been evicting tenants to make room for the company.At a March meeting of tenants concerned about the issues,Plenki •*iBurtrum toid the Journal-World that she had received an eviction notice.She said she was being evicted for paying her February rent late, even though the park manager had already cashed the check.That turned out to be incorrect. Gaslight officials were evicting her because her March payment was too little, too late.Rent at the park is due on the first of the month.Burtrum said she wrote a check bn March 14,-but not for the full amount because of expenses caused by a power failure at the park.:Demaline said she received the check on March 24.• iThe latter date was the same day Burtrum's comment appeared in theJournai-World. It was also a week after Gaslight had filed suit in Douglas County District Court to evict her.But it was also the same day Demaline returned the check, along with a note that eviction was for failure to pay the March rent, not February.} courti •■: . :■• iPlenk suggested in court that. Demaline held onto Burtrum's check for 10 days before returning it.There's no question the check was returned after the Journal-World article appeared, he said later. I think the manager understood Gaslight was getting bad publicity.Masoner disagreed,Clearly, the action was begun before the newspaper article, he said. 1 see nothing that was done in retaliation for the newspaperarticle.Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild ruled for Gaslight. Burtrum must move her mobile home from the park by May 14.Expect more such cases in court, Plenk said afterward.There's no question about that, he said.The Gaslight stuff is going to come up in a much more straightforward way.— joel Mathis'phone message number is 832-71 26. His e-maii address is jmaihis@liworld.com.*
Newspaper Details
Lawrence Journal World
Lawrence, Kansas, US
Sat, Apr 15, 2000
Page 58
Full Page
Clipped by
Jessica F.
USA 15 Jun 2022
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