A new leaf for 'Squirrelman' after treehouse eviction fuss

Facing imminent eviction from his Eastlake treehouse, David "Squirrelman" Csaky got a little good news Tuesday -- then he got a little more.

· Under The Needle: Man evicted from 'amazing' treehouse

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Seattle city officials, facing growing public criticism, granted the 52-year-old homeless man a 10-day reprieve, replacing an earlier notice that would have forced him to leave his hand-cobbled treehouse Wednesday.

Then a group of Csaky's Eastlake neighbors made a deal to get him a deeply discounted RV to stay in.

"I'm overwhelmed," Csaky, 52, said of the response and the new shelter. "I started crying when they told me."

The new eviction notice -- which had a typo mistakenly giving Csaky until July to move out -- allows Csaky until April 18 to leave the vacant lot where over two years he built an elaborate, 300-square-foot platform about 30 feet above the ground.

City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation jointly own and manage the lot under Interstate 5 on the 3100 block of Eastlake Avenue East.

Suzanne Hartman, communications director for City Light, said the city considers the treehouse a "health and safety" concern. "The (treehouse) does have to be moved, and it will be," she said.

But the eviction process was slowed Tuesday -- as recommended by Mayor Greg Nickels -- and Hartman said Csaky has a shelter bed waiting for him if he wants one.

That may not be necessary, based on Csaky's second bit of good news.

Brandon Ferrante, 28, and Maria Bolander, 27, neighbors who watched Csaky build his treehouse and befriended the self-taught carpenter, found the RV on Craigslist after they learned of Csaky's situation.

The pair, along with their landlords, Janet Yoder and husband Robby Rudine, agreed to buy the rig for $500 after its owner offered a special "Squirrelman" discount.

"It broke our hearts," Ferrante said of the eviction notice. "He's taken care of the neighborhood. We couldn't sleep at night. We decided to make it happen."

The RV -- a 22-foot aging Monaco -- arrived at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, delivered by the owner, Timothy Custer.

		Joshua Trujillo / P-I
	Amy and Timothy Custer walk with David Csaky, center, to his new home -- a used RV they sold to him for a special "Squirrelman" discount of a penny after neighbors made a deal to buy him the rig for $500.

When Custer witnessed the commotion around the doomed treehouse, though, he had a change of heart. He sold the rig to Csaky for a penny.

"It's Dave's new house," he declared.

Ferrante said now the task will be finding a permanent place for it to park.

"We don't want to see it get towed," he said.

The story of Csaky's treehouse and the threatened eviction from a Seattle-owned vacant lot prompted a flood of reaction -- from locals who stopped by to drop off supplies to local TV and radio stations who had reporters lining up to climb onto the platform and talk to Csaky.

"Channel 5 woke me up at 9 a.m. Then at 10 it was Channel 4. It got a little overwhelming," Csaky said. "I'm not used to this. I'm not a big shot. I'm just little Dave."

By midday, Csaky had been booked on Dori Monson's KIRO radio show, had visitors signing a donated guestbook and earned the respect of a local treehouse architect and author who stopped by to compliment Csaky on his work.

He's happy and surprised that people jumped to his defense. He knew the neighbors liked him. He didn't realize the anonymous public sympathized, too.

"This is the beginning of a new life," he said.

HOW TO HELP

People who wish to donate to Csaky, or know of a place to park his RV, should contact Janet Yoder at jlyoder@aol.com or send contributions in David's name to Lake Union Mail, 117 E. Louisa St., Seattle 98102.