Residents of Greenwood Villa have been dealing with an autumn of water problems.
The trailer court in west Drumheller has experienced a number of water shut downs as the owner of the park works on a project to replace about one-third of the water mains on the property.
Owner Anthony Audia explains that in late August he responded to a water break. When it was fixed, three more quickly sprung up. Shortly after, he decided to replace the aging water mains.
The repairs were compounded by the fact the water and electrical utilities were virtually stacked upon each other. ATCO Electric had also had problems with the power, and they decided to make repairs at the same time.
As the repairs continued, Audia said they tried to inform residents when water was going to be shut off, but it was not always the case. Last week there was an emergency break where they were not able to give notice, and the water was out for a substantial time.
Audia hopes the new upgrade will alleviate the problems. He said the project is worth almost a half million dollars. To fix the line, he is installing the new utility as a loop with a number of valves. This way if there are future problems, they can isolate the line and continue to deliver water to the bulk of residents.
Lines to each individual property in the area of the park affected are also being replaced.
Audia sent a letter to residents this week to keep them up to date on the project. The letter states the project should be complete by the end of October.
This might be a little late, as the nights turn colder.
Resident Jim Alderman said he woke up Monday morning to no water.
“Now the temporary hoses we have, which are feeding us water, don’t work because it is freezing at night,” said Alderman. “Now we are in dire straits because it is too cold and they took too long to start the project.”
The temporary system is fed by garden hoses, which run across the roadways in the park where they are being driven over and damaged.
“It was poor planning as far as the temporary system. If you look downtown, you see all the temporary lines in the back of buildings. They should have done that here too,” said Alderman.
The cool weather might add up to even more expenses for residents, according to Alderman. To hook up new service to the trailers, the skirts on the buildings have to be removed. This means more cost to the residents, who will have to keep their trailers warm without the skirt to insulate.
“We are starting to get annoyed because the heating costs are going to rise and the electric costs are going to rise,” said Alderman.
Resident Les Riley said he is appreciative of the work the owner has been doing to get the system up and running.
“The inconvenience of people going without water for a day or two was nothing earth shattering, and it could not be avoided,” said Riley.
Audia told The Mail he is sorry for the inconvenience the repairs have caused for residents, and they are trying to minimize the impact on residents.
He also expressed this sentiment in a letter to residents.
“The owners and management of Greenwood Villa want to thank you for your patience and understanding for the disruptions that have been going on in the park since August, 24, 2011 regarding water and electrical re-construction,” states the letter.
Audia told residents they would be receiving a $20 refund for each month from November to January.
He also addressed a rumour the water reconstruction project would be funded through a rental increase. He states there was never the intention of raising the rent and he would not be doing so for at least two years.
