Santa Maria Airport Mobile Home Park residents, who are concerned about the park's future, now have the present to contend with as the city prepares to perform state-mandated inspections.

About 60 residents of the park gathered last week for their monthly homeowners meeting and discussed the upcoming inspection with Santa Maria building official Bob Marshall and building inspector Dave Kuzawa.

The 96-unit Santa Maria Airport Mobile Home Park sits on the south side of the airfield in the 4000 block of South Blosser Road. The future of the park is in limbo; airport officials plan to build a business park and golf course that would encompass mobile home land.

The airport board of directors maintains that the mobile homes can stay at their present location for at least another eight to 10 years since the development of that land won't occur until the second phase of the business park project.

The Airport Business Park Specific Plan and draft environmental impact report are working through the review process.

Regardless of the park's future, city officials say it is this mobile home park's turn for state inspections.

State code requires that mobile home parks are inspected when complaints are generated to the enforcement agency, which is usually the California Department of Housing and Community Development, but in this case is the city of Santa Maria.

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The city opted to retain enforcement duties, Marshall said, who added that the building inspector charged with mobile home parks must be certified by the state.

The decision to inspect the airport mobile home park was made after complaints about the park came across Marshall's desk and the park's profile was elevated in the community.

He said that was also coupled with the city's ability to get the building division back on track - the department has struggled recently to keep a full staff of inspectors.

Marshall explained these reasons to the park residents early last week trying to allay the fears that because they had stood up to the airport board, airport officials somehow sent the city after them.

“The section about organizing the inspections is clear that you are to do your next inspection where you are getting the most complaints,” Marshall said. “We hadn't gotten any complaints from any parks until this one came up. The city has been swamped in the past and hasn't been able to designate an inspector for mobile home parks.”

However, the building division is at nearly full staff and Kuzawa has been designated as the mobile home inspector, Marshall said.

Kuzawa is working to obtain state certification. Once that occurs the inspection at the park can happen.

Marshall explained to residents that the inspection will be looking at the units and the overall park.

Elias Barriga, president of the mobile home residents association, said homeowners were pleased to hear that the park would be under the microscope as well.

“Finally we are going to get somewhere with the airport,” he said, alluding to what the residents see as a lack of maintenance from park ownership.

Barriga said he was happy to have Marshall and Kuzawa at the recent meeting to put down rumors that the city would come in and order nonpermitted structures removed.

Residents told Marshall that past management of the park had specifically told residents not to get permits when building sheds, handrails or other structures so that the park could continue to exist under the city radar.

In response Marshall said the city will work with residents to bring structures into compliance, and will take the park's unique history and future into consideration.

Working to legalize an already built structure is not unique to this situation. Marshall noted that sometimes illegal garage conversions go through a similar process.

“Working with the homeowner is the normal way (we) operate,” Marshall said.

While the city is preparing to come in and inspect the park, the airport board of directors are also working on evaluating the utilities at the facility. The board's assessment comes as part of the new management contract that was recently inked with Newport Pacific to get the park back in order.

Airport officials believe they have found an engineer to do the work but they are waiting for a cost estimate, said General Manager Gary Rice.

In the meantime, he noted that airport maintenance crews are working to remove tree stumps and clean up debris at the park.

Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or mspencer@santamariatimes.com.

May 14, 2007