HENDERSON (KTNV) — Residents of Somerset Park in Henderson got some good news Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Michelle Romero said that the city will front the costs to update the water distribution system if the HOA does not step up before next week's deadline.
Watch Romero's full press conference here:
We've been following this story since we first told you about it last week.
In a letter sent to residents, the City of Henderson told residents the HOA has until September 10, 2024, to fully repair the water system. If it is not fixed by the date, the city could shut off the water service to several of the homes in the community.
According to the letter sent to residents, the water system is deteriorated and has caused water leaks that damaged private roadways, parking lots, and potentially structures.
The city said a recent leak even caused extensive damage to the parking lot. The City of Henderson made a temporary emergency repair to part of the system on August 14, 2024, to prevent further property damage and water loss and installed barricades around that area.
The city says the leaks are causing an "imminent hazard" for the health and safety of the residents and they need to terminate the water service to protect the Somerset Park community.
If a community no longer has access to water, the homes become "unfit for human occupancy" under the city's fire code, the letter states.
Residents we spoke with couldn't believe the HOA didn't have money to make the repairs considering they have been paying more than $300 in fees.
Clark County officials say the previous management company neglected the problem and was barely breaking even on their $20,000 monthly water bill. When CAMCO, the new management company, took it over, it made it almost impossible to cover the costs.
Channel 13 reached out to the current management company, CAMCO, who provided this statement:
“CAMCO was brought on recently to assist the Somerset Park community board after the previous management company was shut down and fined by the Nevada Real Estate Division. Our team has worked on behalf of the new board on solutions with multiple departments in the city including code enforcement and the ombudsman — all in an effort to resolve a number of issues. One of our top executives will be attending a meeting today. Due to financial stressors based on the community's budget shortfalls and past management, the board is facing some budget issues and CAMCO is efforting solutions. It also needs to be noted that any of our expenditures on behalf of communities go through multiple approvals."
Apparently, the problem had been going on for years and the City of Henderson just became aware of the extent of the damage a few weeks ago when a sinkhole appeared at the property.
“The homeowners association has failed the community at every level," Mayor Romero previously said. "At the beginning of this they were in constant contact with our code enforcement. They were letting them know what the extent of the problems were but recently, they have stopped communicating and that is something we are trying to get back on track."
Kenneth Kester, who has been living in Somerset Park for the past six years, feels like this isn't an issue that should be shouldered by the people who live here.
"I felt like all the HOAs did not have our back," Kester said. "I want all the HOAs to be held accountable, and I want the assessment not to be placed on the owners or the renters. This is not our problem. We didn't create it, they did."
Mayor Romero said that the anticipated cost of the repairs is anywhere between $400,000 to $600,000, which includes bringing the system into compliance. Romero said that the private water distribution system is more than 40 years old and was made with out-of-date materials.
Though the city will pay for the repairs, the system will still remain private. Romero also said a repayment plan is something still to be discussed down the road.
