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THE HERALD Wednesday Angus 198 Page Willow Park is now community on the move No theyre not campers or travelling gypsies and no their community isnt a party city But yes their homes do have bathrooms and yes they can stand erect in their living rooms Those are some of the publics misconceptions people living in Norvals Willow Park say they have to contend with because of the type of housing they have chosen People living in the park which is located just off Highway 7 at the Georgetown Norval border are not different than those living in other neighbourhoods says Andrea Per- a fouryear park resident Like most communities a varie ty of walks of life are represented in the 30 mobile homes that make up the park There are professionals tradesmen single people young couples with children middle aged people and seniors Larry Elliott another of the parks residents said And contrary to what a number of people say no one is on welfare his wife Joan added Campers however theyre not Its a stigma that people con sider us campers They consider mobile homes somewhat like travel trailers like life whereas were not were here full year Andreas husband Roger Perryman explained The group stresses they live in mobile iomes and not trailers In this sense their living ac commodations are permanent Chris Mills The only reason our homes are mobile is because they were built somewhere else and moved here on wheels and thats iL Indeed the majority of residents have lived in the park three to seven years Mrs said On resident has lived in the park for years she added When you tell someone you live in a mobile home the first thing they say is you live in a what Mr Mills said People dont understand that mobile homes provide their owners with relative comfort at an af fordable price the residents say The sited cost of an average- sized mobile home already on a lot in Georgetown and surroun ding area ranges from to Mr said This type of mobile home has two bedrooms a living room and din ing room and fully equip ed bathroom and is already located in a park he explained Mobile homes are ideal for young couples and those ap proaching retirement Mr Elliott said Youhl couples can ac cumulate equity while middle aged people can increase their savings for retirement he said They also pointed out thit a mobile home is well suited for the elderly and handicapped people because they have only one floor The communitys closeness is another reason the residents enjoy living in the park No competition within the community Mr Perryman said The idea of keeping up with the Jones where everbody has to have a pool and may or may not want to get to know their neighbour that is common to higher priced residential areas is absent from the park he said Were packed into a small area that everyone knows their neighbour and looks out for each Mrs Perryman said Mr Mills tells a story where one of his daughters was hurt while he and his wife were away from home She had no fears about going to another trailer and asking to be taken to the hospital he said Mrs tells another story of how residents take it upon themselves to call on a reclusive resident periodically to see how he is doing and to tell him whats hap pening Another park resident Mr Paul Kavanaugh says the community is one big happy family But then again they recognize its no heaven All families no matter how close have their fights Mrs Per ryman said The group realizes their chosen lifestyle isnt for everyone While some come to the park and like it immediately or after certain time others never get to it But they dont expect everyone to chose their lifestyle Instead they want the people of Halton Hills to visit the area before passing judge ment Mrs said Willow Park resident Mills says mobile homes arent something out of the dark ages Like most houses mobile homes are large enough to house all the amenities to live comfortably Park will be open space Norvals Willow Park just off Highway 7 will be left as an open space once the parks residents vacate the property Nov 15 the manager of the Conservation Authority Vicki Barron says TheCVCA has expropriated the land because the location poses a danger to the residents living in the area she said Because the park lies in the flood plains of the Credit River and Silver Creek the storm run off from the housing develop ment on the Ninth Line would ex pose the residents to dangerous flooding she explained The expropriation will be financ ed by both the Town of Halton Hills and the province The town will pay per cent of the total cost while the province will pay the rest The full cust has not been disclosed yet town officials say Ms Barron said once the proper ty is vacated it will probably be leased back to the town No building structures can be built on the property because it is Joan Elliott left and Dlanne Mills enjoy a summer day on the deck that surrounds the front part of Ms Elliotts mobile home Its been a long search to find a new home wanted to stay They were not go ing to kick us out is how four- year resident Roger summed up the feel ings We felt the way anybody would feel who was told they had to give up their home Mr wife Andrea added But after seeking legal advice the community agreed with the CVCA that the threat potential flooding posed to the community was great enough to cali for the communitys reaction They were satisfied the CVCA had exhausted all the alternatives to solving the flood problems such as raising the park or installing a dam to regulate the flow of water Mr said Park resident Mr Larry Elliott said however the experience has left the residents emotionally and scarred Most of us have put our life sav ings into our homes so the thought of losing them has been very very sciryhesaid Many times residents thought of giving up the fight because the strain so great Mrs Perryman said But you just cant The residents current goal besides ensuring that they get the new site is to In to relocate at a minimum cost They say there is a need more of this tpe of affordable housing in southern But the general public because of its negative at titude towards mobile parks have to be shown their advantages It is important this new park be a showcase lor what mobile homes can offer they say The residents hope the provin cial governments ministry of housing will help finance the upgrading of their homes or the purchasing of new ones Most of the homes have been in Willow for several years and all may not be moveable Mr Perryman It will be a long and difficult struggle for the Willow Park residents if the town allows them to relocate to a new park in Acton later this year But a worthwhile fight all the same residents say The town has set the wheels in motion for a Regional Road Ac ton site to become the new home of the families currently in the park just off Highway 7 The Credit Valley Conservation Authority first told the residents they had to vacate the site in July 1987 They originally had to move by last year however the extended the eviction date to this November 15 The CVCA has been in the pro cess of expropriating the park dur ing the last two years because the site has been declared dangerous It is considered dangerous because it lies in the flood plains of both Silver Creek and the Credit River the CVCAs manager Vicki Barron said Storm run off from the hous ing development on the Ninth Line would expose the park to dangerous flood conditions she ex plained Helplessness was the communi tys initial reaction when they were told to mo e but this feeling quick ly turned to one of defiance residents say We liked the area and we Stories and photos by Ben exposed to flooding she said Ms Barron said she wouldnt be surprised if the town decided to in stall a couple of picnic tables in the park But no decision will be made un til the town and the CVCA discuss the situation she said The town Is current consider ing changes to its bylaws to allow for Regional Road 12 Acton site to be the new home for the 30 families affected by the expropria tion The residents are confident if all goes well the Acton site will be ap proved sometime in the near future Were tired all we want to do is move and get on with our lives Ms Perryman said GARDENERS SPECIALS DOMINION SEED HOUSE Country Garden Centre Hwy Maple Ave 8772460 MRS