The owners of the Hilltop Mobile Home Park in College Township have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office.
The park has been embroiled in controversy since it closed earlier this year, forcing residents to move out. Prosecutors claimed that Hilltop failed to pay some relocation expenses owed to tenants after the park closed.
Under the terms of the deal, owners Kenneth Mayes and his sister Sharon Mayes will pay $26,700. Most of that money, $21,700, will be distributed to former park residents and $5,000 will go to pay court and attorney fees.
Jesus Maldanado, who was a resident of Hilltop for six months, was party to the lawsuit. Maldanado says he is “relieved” to see a settlement agreement.
“It was so unfair the way it all went down. I had a seven-year-old daughter with me and I bought a place six months before they announced that they were closing. It was all very dishonest,” Maldanado said. “I’ll be happy for anything compensation wise that can help out. The owners really put me in a jam while I tried to find a new place.”
According to the Attorney General’s Office, eight tenants will receive $2,500 and another tenant will receive $1,700. In addition, $10,000 will be set aside in case other residents make claims in the next 30 days.
The original lawsuit stated that residents should have been paid up to $4,000 for relocation of their mobile home. Residents who are unable or unwilling to move their mobile homes are eligible for a $2,500 payment.
Matthew Rooke, president of the Hilltop Resident Association, says that this development is only one part of the puzzle.
“The settlement is one side that we’ve been working on” Rooke said. “We remain convinced that reopening the mobile home park is essential.”
The mobile home park, located just off East College Avenue, has been sold to Indiana-based Trinitas Ventures. The company is asking College Township to rezone the property so it can build student housing on the site. That proposal is being reviewed by the planning commission.
