To the editor:

After a long, hard year in court, we are deeply disappointed by the outcome of the right of first refusal case involving Our Sunny Acres Mobile Home Park in Portsmouth. Our homeowners association had hoped residents would have the chance to purchase the park and preserve the land for affordable housing so that residents, including our seniors, could continue to call Sunny Acres home.

Over the past year, we have worked closely with our attorneys, the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) and other community partners to pursue resident ownership. Along the way, the court issued a protective order covering our membership list, and we worked through other challenges as we sought to give residents a greater say in the future of their community.

There were times when it felt like the odds were stacked against us. We reached out to state representatives, town officials and others for assistance, and we were disappointed that those requests did not bring the help we had hoped for. Even so, we kept fighting to exercise our right of first refusal because the chance for residents to own the park was worth pursuing.

We are grateful to our attorneys for standing with us and fighting so hard to help preserve low-income housing in Portsmouth. Thank you to CDI and everyone who shared their time and expertise, and to every neighbor who attended meetings, talked with fellow residents, asked questions or lent a hand. I know how much hope went into this effort and how hard it is to hear that we cannot move forward with the purchase through the right of first refusal.

Our homeowners association will continue working for every Sunny Acres resident. We’ll take some time to gather our thoughts, listen to residents’ concerns and decide together how best to move forward. As we learn more, we’ll share updates and keep speaking up on issues that affect residents’ homes and daily lives.

I’m proud of how our neighbors showed up for one another over the past year. Whatever comes next, I’ll keep working alongside them to make sure residents have a voice in the future of Sunny Acres.

Sharlene Patton

President, Our Sunny Acres Homeowners Association

Portsmouth