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Nottingham Forest Residents Say Property will be Demolished, No Prior Notice Given

Almost two weeks after the people in Gaylord went through a deadly tornado, the people in one of the hardest hit areas are now facing more stress.

Nottingham Forest Mobile Home Park residents say they’ve heard they have until Saturday, June 4, to collect what’s left from the damage left behind before the property is completely emptied.

“They’re doing this without notifying any of us tenants, renters to own, renters, or homeowners,” said property renter Jammie Allen. “None of us knew any of this until it happened.”

Allen says she’s had issues with management since the tornado hit.

“The day after the tornado, people were trying to get their medications and phones and photos,” she said. “They got kicked out of the park. They were told they could not take anything until their insurance company made an assessment. I don’t believe that.”

Allen says she, and the rest of the residents, heard the property was planning to demolish everything.

“These people have rights,” said Allen. “They need to be recognized and enforced. These people have lost everything that they’ve ever worked for in their whole life. It’s an unjust action by ownership and management.”

Allen said management told her and her neighbors that Michigan Department of Great Lakes and Energy (formerly Michigan Department of Environmental Quality). One of her neighbors called–EGLE did not place an order for demolition.

Residents on May 25 from Nottingham Forest Management stating they hope to rebuild, but do not give an estimate time of when that will happen.

Allen said there are neighbors of hers still in the hospital.

“I imagine the people that are in the hospital have not been contacted by management at all,” she said.

There is some hope for those in Nottingham Forest, a free legal clinic at the Otsego County Building on Friday, June 3, from 12-4.

“On behalf of the Court, I was trying to think of ways that the legal community could help out and use our special training and services to help,” said 46th Circuit Court Judge George Mertz. “It occurred to me, why not try a free legal clinic.”

The clinic hopes to help those affected by the tornado with any legal questions they have.

“Those folks that have been directly affected that have questions about their rights and what they can do, absolutely they’re more than welcome to come out,” Judge Mertz said.

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UPDATE: June 3, 2021

9&10 received this statement from Steven D. Sallen, President and CEO of Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller, P.C., who represents Nottingham Forest.

Any report, statement, rumor or inuendo, to the effect that Nottingham Forest MHC will be demolished is utterly fabricated and untrue. All heavy equipment observed to be in use during your reporting, is solely for utility and premises restoration and debris removal; not demolition!

The Owner of Nottingham Forest MHC is now in the process, and has every intention of repairing and fully reopening Nottingham Forest MHC to tenant-residents, as soon as possible. No one was told that they must remove their belongings by any certain date. In fact, only those damaged homes that have been cleared by tenants have been demolished, even though awaiting such clearance from tenants has slowed the process of debris removal. Water service is now restored to all habitable homes, and gas and electric service is in process of restoration by DTE and Consumers Power, with an expectation of full restoration of service by Monday, June 6.

Since the day of the tornado, nine residents have already re-inhabited their homes (those that were lightly damaged), and those residents have expressed their gratitude to the owner of Nottingham Forest MHC, for all that he has done, and continues to do to try to restore normalcy to their lives.

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