TULSA -- Some north Tulsa tenants are searching for a place to live after Tulsa Public Schools purchased a mobile home park with plans to expand an elementary school.
"Several of us come here with a good set up and we just planned to be here until we pass on,” says resident Jack Ashby.
King Street Mobile Home Park is home to 20 trailers, most low-income.
"I'm on social security and disability, I'm making $800 a month tops so that will put me in a position where I don't know what I'm going to do,” said Ashby.
Tulsa Public Schools signed a contract on March 1 to buy the mobile home park for $650K with plans to expand Mckinley Elementary School.
"We have plans to construct a 10 classroom addition, a parking lot and then a drop off area for students,” said TPS Bonds Projects Executive Director Chris Hudgins.
The district says those plans are primarily to get rid of the portable classrooms that were approved in the 2015 bond election.
The project is expected to cost $3.5 million. "We know this is an inconvenience, a bad situation for everybody,” said Hudgins.
The district sent a letter to tenants March 21, giving owners of their own trailed $2,500 to move.
Those abandoning or renting a trailer would receive $1,000 according to the letter.
"I would say maybe $1,500 more,” said Ashby. Tenants say that’s not nearly enough.
"They're going to pay to move the trailer out of their way. They don't care nothing about the porch, the shed, the fence, the central air, power hook-up. They don't care about nothing of that,” said Daryn Wasserman.
Tenants are now beginning the grueling process of searching for help as they leave a piece of their lives behind.
The district has given tenants until April 15 to decide on an incentive option.
TPS plans to begin construction in August and have the new addition ready for the beginning of the 2018 school year.
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