The front entrance view of Lewis River RV Park in Woodland, Jan. 16. Park tenants are in danger of losing power in a dispute over ownership responsibilities between the property and business owners.
Marie Rose and her husband Sean pose for a picture with The Reflector during their walk though Lewis River RV Park in Woodland, Jan. 16. Rose has lived in this park with her husband for about three years, and is very upset to leave, she said; “A lot of our friends are starting to move out and it’s really sad because we all got along and pulled together when things were rough.”
Dozens of residents at Lewis River RV Park East of Woodland are in danger of losing electricity this week as a dispute with the property and business owners has led to no one agreeing to pay the bills.
On Jan. 14, Cowlitz Public Utility District informed residents of the RV park that power would be shut off two days later. The notice stated that the current property owner had refused to sign up for electricity service through the district, resulting in the shutoff.
When word broke that the park would lose power, community outcry resulted. Woodland Mayor Will Finn called the situation “completely unacceptable” in a post on his Facebook account.
“With the turn in the weather, these families will be left with no heat or resources,” Finn wrote.
Tenants received some temporary respite the following day, when the property owner, Jerry Reeves, met with Cowlitz PUD to allow them to continue to provide power through donations received for a week until Jan. 23, utility spokesperson Alice Dietz told The Reflector.
“Of course we would like to find a permanent solution,” Dietz said, saying it was the utility’s desire to work with Reeves in coming to some resolution. Though power remained on as of Jan. 16, by then some tenants were starting to move out.
Dietz said an electrical shutoff would also affect water, which is drawn to the park with a pump. According to Reeves, the decision not to sign up for electricity with Cowlitz PUD stemmed from a dispute between him and John Berman, a lawyer who represented his late ex-wife, who he said took over running the business on the property in March.
A certificate of redemption of property filed in Cowlitz County Superior Court shows that the trust for Reeves’ ex-wife, with Berman listed as trustee, had purchased the property in a sheriff’s sale December 2018 from Reeves for $1.3 million. The sale had a 12-month redemption period, during which Reeves was able to redeem the property.
But Reeves is not the business owner, he said, adding that because current rentals at the park were through the business he had limited control of tenants and collecting rent.
“My hands are tied,” Reeves said, saying that the redemption certificate was only for the property, not the business itself.
“He thinks he can just wash his hands of it, just because Jerry Reeves redeemed the land part of it,” Reeves remarked, referring to himself in the third person.
If he could take over running the RV park he would, Reeves said. He said this wasn’t the first dispute he’s had with Berman, who he’s fought with over money he paid into a trust for his ex-wife.
“It’s been a nightmare for me,” Reeves remarked.
