While a few remaining vehicles were towed Monday morning, no citations were issued to people who had been living in an impromptu homeless camp at Centralia's Mellen Street Park and Ride.
While a few remaining vehicles were towed Monday morning, no citations were issued to people who had been living in an impromptu homeless camp at Centralia's Mellen Street Park and Ride.
Washington State Patrol vehicles are seen posted around the Mellen Street park-and-ride Monday morning in Chehalis.
Washington State Patrol vehicles are seen posted around the Mellen Street park-and-ride Monday morning in Chehalis.
By Monday at 10 a.m., the last of the RV campers still living at the Mellen Street Park and Ride in Centralia — about a dozen people — had packed their belongings and moved on.
While two Washington State Patrol troopers observed, people were packing items into cars, attempting to jump start car batteries and deciding what items should be taken and what should be left behind.
The exodus was spurred on by the Washington State Department of Transportation, which owns the park and ride property, when staff left notices at the homeless encampment on Thursday, stating the lot has a 48-hour maximum stay time and violators would be subject to removal.
A day later, WSDOT left more notices. These ones stated people at the encampment had the weekend to pack up and leave, or their vehicles would be impounded by the Washington State Patrol.
“With this notice, the Washington State Department of Transportation is ordering you to remove your vehicle … from the Mellen Street Park and Ride facility, within 72 hours of this notice. Failure to remove this vehicle within 72 hours of this notice will result in impoundment by the (WSP),” the notice read.
Two WSP troopers arrived at 10 a.m. on Monday, trooper Isaac Porter said they were waiting for instructions from WSDOT. An hour later, WSDOT workers had arrived with two tow trucks, but by then, almost everyone had left and no tickets were issued and no arrests were made.
Bob Kofstad, a WSDOT southwest region maintenance manager, said they would be towing a few vehicles that had been abandoned, but all in all, the people who were asked to leave were compliant with the order.
“Our intention was not to arrest or tow anyone,” Scott Wilcox, WSDOT southwest region area two maintenance superintendent said. “And so far, they’ve been compliant.”
Many of the people packing up said they did not know where they were heading and that their plan is likely to keep driving until they can find a new place to park at.
Tara Manning, who said she had been living at the Mellen Street Park and Ride for two weeks, said she has no specific plan, only that she and her boyfriend plan on driving until they spot a place to park.
She said social service workers had arrived at the encampment over the weekend and suggested they head over to the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds where The Salvation Army and Lewis County Public Health and Social Services have established a temporary homeless shelter.
But Manning wasn’t particularly keen on the idea because she said it wasn’t made clear if she would be able to park her motorhome at the fairgrounds, and the motorhome was the last home she had left.
“All of my belongings, everything I own is right in (the motorhome),” Manning said.
Harold Moran also felt better off driving to the next parking spot instead of going to the fairgrounds. He said that it wasn’t his first time bouncing around, and while the pandemic has made the task a bigger chore, he felt confident he would find a place to go.
And while Moran keeps a fairly positive outlook, his words were a reminder that for most people living at the Mellen Street Park and Ride, it was not their first choice.
“We don’t want to be here,” Moran said. “But financially it got real tough and I already had the motor home so it made sense.”
