Words of Shady Acres

 Statements by residents of the Shady Acres/Shady Brook Manufactured Home Park, in Ellensburg WA

Family Retablos/Offering, CWU Museum

Family Prayer:  We ask you Virgencita (Affectionate term for the Virgin Mary), to please intercede,  so the situation in which we live can be solved; for us to find a good solution--please help us to not lose our home; we implore you with all our hearts…I know we have not lived in this place for long--merely two years-- but it is what in the meantime we can pay; this is one of the cheapest trailer parks and here there are not many places where we can find a similar arrangement (paying what we are paying now).”


"I have worked many jobs in Ellensburg, in the hay industry, in cold storage, in construction, and at nurseries. I also buy, repair and resell used cars. With my savings I finally bought a mobile home in Shady Brook. I am married with four sons and a daughter.  I really love Shady Brook, since the rent is affordable, there is no traffic and our children can play outside. All the neighbors are kind and look after each other. Another great thing about living in Shady Brook is that we can walk to our church, which we really love.  Shopping is easy for us, and it is easy for the kids to get to school on foot.  (My younger son says he loves going across the street to Winegars and 7-11 for “slurpees" with his friends!)  We don’t know where we would live if we lost our home. That would just be devastating for our family. We ask all our friends to help us stay in the community that we love. " (Anonymous resident) 


Public Comments by Shady Acres Residents, at Open Hearing of the Kittitas Board of Commissioners, May 24: 


Adriana Villa:  I have lived in Shady Acres, for 17 years. In this community my daughters and I have been very happy until we found about the sale. We ask that you take us into consideration. Please come to a decision that can help us. Because we want to continue being a community. A bad decision would have a negative effect on all us, especially my daughters--because of their school, their friends, their doctors, all nearby. I have always contributed to the community. These are people with good moral character --so please treat as such.  I only ask that you allow us to continue being the beautiful community that we are. And I ask God to grant you the wisdom to grant us a safe and just outcome. (May 24, public comment to Commissioners)

Jovita Linares:   I am very saddened by the situation that all of my neighbors have been put through. I never thought we would go through something like this, through decisions that adults are taking that do not take into consideration the impact upon us. We haven't been able to sleep well. I don’t know if you are a father or a mother. I am a mother. Imagine coming home every day from work, Imagine your children saying, what are we going to do? What answer can I give them, when I don’t know myself? My heart has been broken in many pieces because of the decisions you are making. We are such a beautiful creation that God has made. We are not dependent on anyone else, we depend on ourselves, to provide for ourselves. (May 24) 

Ron McClellan:  I live in Shady Acres. I have lived in Ellensburg for the past thirty three years; I moved here in 1973. I worked for Don Williams, Okanogan-Seattle Transport, and McKnight Express.   I drove trucks for forty-two years here in Washington state and up in Alaska. For ten years I hauled jet fuel, based in Anchorage, supporting the cargo planes going back and forth across the Pacific. Around 2006, I started to experience excruciating back pain; eventually, I learned my spine was deteriorating and that I needed multiple surgeries. I  loved my job and worked as long as I could, but had to stop driving, and retired early, in 2012. I’m still in constant pain. I’m hoping to get a special surgical procedure for my spine —but that would be extremely expensive, and I’m saving up money for that, because of the high deductible ($4,500) on my medical insurance. I’m on Disability, and just can just barely make ends meet. It will be three years before I qualify for supplemental insurance. I bought my trailer in 2006 from Jerry Barton, hoping to have a place to retire to; I moved into Shady Brook in 2012. I’ve found it a pleasant place to live, with friendly and supportive neighbors. The kids are always outside running and playing. I really don’t know where I could move to. As an experienced truck driver,  I don’t think my  trailer, which dates back to 1969, could survive relocation to another trailer court. Where am I going to go?  (May 24)

Sr. Linares:  I have lived in Shady Brook since 2001, in four trailers in that place. In 2009 I had the opportunity to buy the trailer where I live now. I had to make the repay the loan, and pay rent for the lot. We can’t buy a $250,000 home. I believe that you have all houses and your children sleep peacefully and you sleep well, but when I get home my children ask where are we going?  Will we be sleeping under a bridge? We pay 325 dollars per lot rent. Looking on line I see that to the equivalent house we'd have to pay $1200 to $1800. Where will I get that money from? Would I take away clothing and food from my children? I understand your work, you have the capacity to help us in a good manner. You are saying you are going to find a good solution but we are not seeing that yet. What will happen if one of our elders in the community had an aneurysm or a heart attack because of this terrible pressure? We need action, please.  (May 24)

Francisco Ibbara:  I have lived at Shady Acres for over 15 years. I lived in California, then came to Ellensburg.  I liked it. I came for a better opportunity for my family, and Shady Acres gave me that that opportunity. To move, would be to take my family to a much less safe community. Please take our place for our moment. Please make the right decision.  That way I can go home and tell my 8 years old daughter that Shady Acres will continue to be our home.  (May 24)

Lorena Garcia:  We are here talking about our situation. We don’t know what is going to happen. We are a family that really likes where we are living. My kids can buy an ice cream across the street. My husband is the only one that provides for our household. He has worked  at Twin City Foods for 18 year.  We were so happy (and here she began to cry) when we had the ability to buy a house, what we call a house. It is a double wide. If we had to purchase a regular house that was the same size, we couldn’t afford it, it would be over $200,000/  We fear we would have to move out of this town. We attend our church that is close our house. All we are asking is that you think what is going to happen to us and everyone else. We have experienced a lack of sleep, tremendous amount of stress. This is not only harmful for elders; ; we are all suffering from a fatal uncertainty over what is happening-- to all of us.  (May 24) 

RDLR:  (President, Shady Acres Homeowners Association)  I have been listening to everything said there. I feel confused, hearing there is no plan for all these families, even though you are asserting you care. As we just heard, the families are going through a very traumatic period.   If I had the resources so that my family didn’t have to go through this trauma, I wouldn’t be here. I am a family man, I earn 10 dollars per hour, I have to help my wife and help my two daughters,t o succeed. It has been a great effort for me to succeed, for my family. My daughters say Dad, we want a house, I don’t have the words to say no, all I can say is let’s wait a little while and see what we can do. Right now, this is what we have and this what we can do.

After hearing all that has been said today I feel like I have made my home in the sand. I really hope you put your hands and put your heart into this00many families have made their life here, and it is complicated. The majority of the people I know are hard working. They work 10 to 16 hour shifts just to help their families and move forward. It is our decision to be there, we are trying to make our good life there, it is our choice. From one side I hear don’t worry, but I can’t but wonder what is going to be the end of this situation. I don’t know if it would be better to have an exact date or to continue in this trauma when we don’t know what is going to happen?  (May 24)


RDLR:   Estoy hablando en representación de mi familia y de toda la comunidad de Shady Acres. Trabaje duro para comprar me casa, en la cual están invertidos mi años de esfuerzo, para tener un mejor hogar para mi familia. Es mi bien más importante.

Mi familia y yo tenemos mucho amigos cercanos en Shady Acres. Si esta comunidad es dividida por este Candando nuestras relaciones van a ser quebrada y mi inversión en mi casa que es mi propiedad será perdida. No sé si mi casa se podrá mover con seguridad ya que es 50 años vieja. Quiero lo mismo que todos, mi versión del sueño américo, que es ser dueño de mi casa.

Si el condado decidiría mover a mi familia también alteraría mi economía ya que trabajo en Ellensburg, la ubicación de las escuelas de mis hijos y relación con todas las personas que tengo alrededor y el apoyo que me dan, además de la seguridad de tener un hogar seguro.

Le pedimos al Condado un visión clara para nuestra comunidad y que tomen en cuenta la esencia de las familias y los problemas que van a provocar con esta desalojo de hogares.