Kent French, association member in charge of governmental affairs, said the city used state and federal dollars unwisely when it installed the homes elsewhere incorrectly, requiring the homes to be re-installed at taxpayer’s expense. City Finance Director Cindy Hemphill said HUD regulations do not require homes to be sited on underground piers as the result of a secondary move, and the contractors moved them onto concrete blocks as required by HUD.
However, financing companies and insurers require the homes be attached to piers, necessitating the city to reset as many as 30 homes that were moved last fall. Odd’s is closed, although four or five more homes need to be moved, as MHProNews has learned. “Each one of those people deserved to have their homes set in the same fashion it was set before,” French said.
He added the NDMHA had previously approached the city to assist in guiding the relocation of the homes, but the city did not respond. Piers are comparable in strength to a site-built home, whereas blocks could leave the home vulnerable to weather events.
While French says government waste is suspected, city manager Lee Staab said the city will now be installing the MH to the appropriate standards. ##
(Photo credit:citylab/Esther Sullivan–manufactured home being moved)
