SOUTHPORT, NY (WENY) -- Cherry Lane Park has been a hot-button topic for Southport residents and neighbors living across the street on Sherman Avenue. A monthly meeting held on Tuesday, November 14th updated the town board and residents about the park's next steps for renovation in 2024 including submitting an annual license to operate in the next few weeks. 

"On-site currently there are 11 units, 8 of those are occupied, {and} 3 are vacant. The 3 vacant units have all been secured so that no one can enter them," says the Attorney for Cherry Lane Park LLC, Michael Bruno. "The water is turned off to those units and the gas lines are turned off to those units."

At one point the park was filled to capacity with 25 units occupied, and over time that number dwindled down. Bruno says he hopes to continue the next parts of demolition in January or February. The issue comes down to the weather.

Attorney Bruno and his clients want to bring in sixteen new mobile home units. According to the proposal given to the Southport Town Planning Board, rent would be $400 dollars a month.

"Based on our research and evaluation of the marketplace, we feel that we would, our goal of providing affordable housing to people and selling those units single-wide units are significantly less expensive and a lower price point," Bruno tells the Southport Town Board at Tuesday, November 14th town meeting.

The park's proposed plan still needs to be approved by the planning board. In the meanwhile, at the November meeting, neighbors living near Cherry Lane Park addressed rodent and insect infestation issues that began after the demolition in September 2023.

"I am paying 2, 300 to get rid of mice that is a cause of this not being. And fumigated to begin with, which I had requested at one of the other meetings," says Karen Clark, a resident of Southport.

This is not the first time Southport residents who live a few hundred feet away from the park have addressed their concerns.

Another neighbor Tom, says he owns multiple properties; his infestation bill is large and the rodent infestation is a problem.

"I have two Orkin bills now. To the tune of almost 3,000," says Tom. 

Mary Davenport, a Southport resident neighbor of the park told the board, "I have now an Orkinville. Every month that I have to pay because of that trailer park. Never had these problems before. How are you guys going to reimburse us? How's this going to be taken care of? I mean, it's ridiculous."

The Parks attorney says the earliest reconstruction will begin is in the late Spring of 2024. The next town board meeting where Cherry Lane Park could be potentially discussed is on Tuesday, December 12th.