Dallas Pike Campground and Mobile Home Park residents received a new letter this week informing them of a new eviction deadline. The land has been sold to a new owner who does not plan to continue operating the campground. (File Photo by Shelley Hanson)

TRIADELPHIA — Dallas Pike Campground and Mobile Home Park residents received a new letter this week offering incentives to move out quickly along with an extended eviction deadline for some as well.

According to a copy of the letter, residents now have another 60 days to move out, making their deadline Sept. 1 instead of the initial July 1 deadline.

“All tenants not in conformity with the lease agreement, including being in arrears on rent, are still subject to eviction beginning July 1, 2023,” states the letter from Thomas White, the attorney representing the current owner, the Robert and Samuel Harris Irrevocable Trust.

The letter also offers reimbursement for moving costs, depending on the date on which one moves.

For example, the highest amount is $3,500 if one moves out on or before the original eviction date of July 1. White’s letter also states the trust may purchase homes that cannot be moved; however, one must have a title and proof of ownership.

“To those tenants vacating their property, while also abandoning any mobile home on the campground property, please understand that 10 days beyond the final expiration of all campground leases, Sept. 1, 2023, the property will be considered abandoned and likely be demolished, unless other arrangements are made before the expiration of said 10 days,” the letter notes.

White said previously the person who purchased the property is set to take ownership on or about July 1 and does not plan to continue operating the current campground business. He declined to give the person’s name or reveal what the land will be used for.

White could not be reached for comment as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Campground resident Allen Patterson believes the land is going to be used for the oil and gas industry, as he and others have seen people driving company trucks in their neighborhood recently.

Patterson said he received the newest letter with the extended deadline, but he still isn’t happy about the situation.

“I wish they told us way ahead of time,” Patterson said Tuesday.

Patterson said his home is a double-wide and it would take eight axles to move it. However, he does not have a title for the home, but has been paying his lot rent of $200 monthly. He is now looking for a new place for his family to live, but the rents are high. For example, they are looking at a home in Woodsdale, but the rent will be $1,500 a month.

Patterson said he and several other residents are receiving help from West Virginia Legal Aid regarding the whole matter.

“They think we’re dumb white trash,” he said. “They think we don’t have an education.”

Patterson added he might not be rich, but he worked his entire life before retiring. And while he does not have much money saved up, he is “rich in other ways” because of his family and friends.

He noted in the past they would have picnics and cookouts and invite all their neighbors over to enjoy it with them. The neighborhood is quiet and peaceful and, though it is close to Interstate 70, you cannot hear the hum of traffic, just the occasional Jake Brake on a tractor-trailer, he said.

“I hate to leave here,” Patterson said.