Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  Last week a team of volunteers grabbed their axes, shovels and sledge hammers and headed to Sundance Circle to begin a long awaited demolition project. A trailer parked just outside town limits and just inside United States Forest Service property, between 46 and 50 Sundance Circle, had long outstayed its welcome.

The trailer originally belonged to the previous owner of 46 Sundance and it is believed it was accidentally placed outside their boundary many years ago. Abandoned and disintegrating, the trailer nevertheless held some charm for a transient who, sometime in the past two years, discovered his new home, made it his own, and assimilated into town.

Nederland Town Marshal Larry Johns says, “While making it his own he brought in building materials, a generator, solar panels and made himself quite a home, to include working on an addition to the back side of the trailer, and leaving trash around the outside.”

The Nederland Police Department and the USFS tried to get the person to move out and clean up, but by this time, he was fully entrenched. Eventually a summons was issued for Unlawful Conduct pertaining to USFS rules. A full report with pictures and information was sent to the DA’s office requesting some form of restitution in the case, knowing of the impending clean up. However, that never happened. The man pled guilty to a trespass charge, abandoned the trailer and left Nederland.

The new USFS District Ranger, Angela Gee, arrived in her new position and was hit with this issue. She agreed to pay for the cost of a dumpster. In late June, NPD chief Larry Johns saw Jim Reis and his mission group working on park projects. He asked if he could discuss this major project that needed to be addressed for the Sunny Side neighborhood. A date was set and a dumpster was delivered to the site. Reis and over 40 volunteers, along with Public Works staff and their heavy equipment, completely dismantled the trailer, putting all of its parts into the dumpster. They hauled away all the construction debris and the steel frame of the trailer for recycling.

Johns says, “I just want to give a huge thanks to everyone who put time and effort into this.”

On Monday, July 16, 2018, Rocky Mountain Mission had 44 volunteers come together to accomplish our biggest project to date. The group tackled the squatter trailer left in the woods 150 yards off the road on forest service land in the Sunny Side neighborhood. The area was a sprawling mess with trash, tires, a fridge, and a literal ton of construction material.

The Rocky Mountain Mission group #4 from Ft. Calhoun, NE of 14 strong teamed up with 25 folks from Indiana (Purdue group) and five others from NCPC/Public Works department to take on this huge project. With this large group of all-stars, the crews were able to clear the entire site in three hours of hard work.

“I am very proud that RMM was the driving force in our community that made this clean up possible,” says Reis, Work Coordinator for Rocky Mountain Mission.

“To date RMM has completed 17 projects in addition to the ongoing projects at Chipeta Park. We have returned to help several seniors a second time and one three times. We still have 1.5 weeks of RMM left to help seniors in need and complete our major community projects at Chipeta Park.”