GALLATIN COUNTY — Over the past year, MTN News has been reporting on the sale of mobile home parks Mountain Meadows Estates and King Arthur Park.
According to Mountain Meadows Estates resident Benjamin Moore, residents were informed last week that the parks were officially sold by the former owner, Gary Oakland. Moore, who moved to Mountain Meadows Estates 20 years ago with his father, described the sale as both a "good and a bad thing."
"The original reason my dad and I moved here was that we got priced out of Bozeman," explained Moore.
Now, Moore has been involved with the Mountain Meadows Estates Tenant Union for the past month. He said he's watched the pending sale of the parks bring his neighbors and King Arthur Park residents together.
WATCH: "It's a good and bad thing": A closer look at the recent sale of King Arthur Park and Mountain Meadows Estates
"People really like the chance to have a say in what's happening to us," said Moore.
Over the past several months, residents of both parks have been advocating for the former owner, Oakland & Companies, to sell the park to them. However, that did not happen.
"We would still love to be able to buy our parks," explained Moore. "But that was taken off the possibilities by Oakland's choice to sell to a higher bidder rather than to the residents."
Moore said he received notice of the sale last week and is currently trying to contact the new management company, Cabrillo Management.
"I think everyone here is hoping the new management will talk to us, sit down and build a relationship because we've seen what happens when you don't," said Moore.
Cabrillo Management, based in San Diego, manages more than 2,900 manufactured homes and RV sites in the Western United States, according to their website.
MTN News has reached out to Cabrillo Management for comment, but has not yet heard back.
Alongside the recent sale, an ongoing rent strike continues as residents protest an eleven percent rent increase. It's the first rent strike Montana has seen for nearly 50 years.
"Rent strike will continue until the rent hike is lowered or the union votes to de-escalate the strike," said Moore.
Moore also hopes the new management will work to address long-term issues residents have been facing in both parks.
"If you made a complaint, you would get blown off or an eviction threat," he explained. "We're going to keep fighting to just open up a nice, healthy communication with these folks."
MTN News also tried to contact Gary Oakland and Oakland & Company about the sale, but has not heard back.
