Progress at Ben’s?
That depends on who you talk to
An early September community meeting where residents of Ben’s Mobile Home Park in Claxton voiced their complaints and concerns has generated a letter from the owner of the park.
At last month’s meeting, residents pointed out the condition of roads and sewers, stormwater drainage, and the prevalence of illegal drugs.
Ben Graves, owner of Ben’s Mobile Home Park, sent a letter to Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Sept. 21. Copies of the letter were sent to various county officials, The Courier News and CUB.
Attached to the letter was what Graves called a “progression report,” which he suggested be used to track improvements in various areas. Listed vertically along the left side of the chart were the problems that were discussed at the meeting: roadways, sewer, vacant property, creek, drugs, neighborhood watch, and homeowners association. Listed horizontally across the top of the chart were the dates Dec. 22, March 23, and May 23.
The letter asked, “What do you think about it? We can each write in things that progress over time ... such as road work or one of the other subjects of the past meeting.”
Graves told The Courier News that he sent the letter out seeking the recipients’ advice, but no one had yet responded.
It was his understanding that the original developers of the subdivision should have put up a bond to ensure the roads were built to county standards, and the county should have taken them over after they were built to those specifications.
He claims that according to their minutes, county commissioners voted to take over the subdivision roads in 1968.
Graves said he owns 45 out of the approximate 146 lots in the subdivision. “I have no control over the other lots,” he said, adding that he tried to get his tenants to clean up their lots.
“I keep after the people to keep their lots clean,” he said.
“It is a sad situation,” he said of conditions at the trailer park. “It kind of got dropped. Nobody is taking charge. Nobody is taking responsibility.”
It is Graves’ position that the county should take care of road and drainage problems and that CUB should take care of water and sewer problems.
“I certainly think putting together this information is always a great idea, I’m not opposed to it,” was the response of Mayor Terry Frank.
However, she went on to add, “I don’t think it is going to solve all the problems.”
Frank said there was nothing the county could do about roads in the trailer park since they are not county roads. She was in favor of the residents forming a neighborhood watch and a homeowners association.
When asked his response to the letter, Commissioner Tyler Mayes, District 1, (which encompasses the trailer park) said it was a little of a surprise, adding, “I didn’t expect anything like that from him.”
Mayes added, “I think we are beyond that.” He called the letter, “too little, too late.”
He also wondered why Graves did not come to the meeting in early September.
Mayes said the meeting, “raised a lot of questions with no answers.” He said the grants referred to at the meeting were in the works.
Mayes noted that there were some positive results, though.
He said that progress has been made toward bringing several blighted properties up to code.
Commissioner Tracy Wandell, who also serves District 1, expressed a positive opinion.
He said Graves had invited him to a meeting and he was looking forward to it.
Wandell said the chart could be the foundation for making progress.
He said the sheriff’s office has been making progress in combatting illegal drug use in the subdivision, as well.
Gary Long, the county’s road superintendent, was one of the recipients of the letter.
He said there was nothing his department could do since the roads in the trailer park are private property.
When asked about the possibility of grants, he said that most of the grants he was aware of dealt with such things as striping and erecting guard rails.
He said the roads in the trailer park had been neglected for a long time and there were many legal questions.
