HENDERSON (KTNV) — The first week of construction on the Somerset Park community in Henderson is now in the books.
This is the City of Henderson's projectreplacing the failing water distribution system in the community.
Residents claim there have been massive leaks for years and several sinkholesbecause of this failing system.
The community is off of Sunset Road on Kristin Lane between Haren Drive Natalee Drive.
Channel 13 has been in the community more than a dozen times since late August, detailing the water system issues, how residents have dealt with these concernsand what the HOA and the City of Henderson is doing about it.
Construction just kicked off Monday, Sept. 16 and is still expected to last a total of 45 days. That means eight more weeks of construction.
I went to the community Sunday to see how much progress crews have made.
Construction crews have been mainly focusing on two parking lots connected to four separate buildings in the front portion of the community.
Crews have dug several holes throughout the road, including ones right behind each home connected to the parking lots, to reach the water system connections.
"I’m happy, but I hope they finish soon," said 75-year-old Somerset Park resident Carmelita Pulido.
I spoke to Pulido on Sept. 10, a week before construction began.
She is now unable to walk to the parking lot and mainly stays away from her back patio due to the construction.
“I can’t park, plus there’s a lot of holes and they locked my back gate," Pulido said.
Her parking lot was previously blocked by a sink hole for over a month, but now she can't access that area due to the construction.
There are changes coming to construction.
In a letter sent to residents Thursday, the City of Henderson says the contractor, Triple J Trenching, "began exploratory work to replace the underground service. During this process, the vendor discovered that the underground materials were different from what was expected, which will require additional water shutdowns to complete the project."
READ THE FULL LETTER BELOW:
The letter states that full complex shutdowns will need to happen when installing new water main valves. The shutdowns should last no longer than two hours each time.
In the building where the new valves are installed, water may need to shut off for up to eight hours to install new lines, according to the city.
Water will only be shut off during construction hours, Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
I asked Pulido if she's concerned with the additional issues.
"That’s my number 1 concern because we are fixed income," Pulido said.
Several residents tell me they hope more issues don't emerge and they hope the price tag doesn't continue to rise.
The City of Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero originally estimated on Sept. 3 the total cost of the project would be $400,000 - $600,000.
WATCH the full press conference where the mayor gave those details here:
I have asked the city several times for a current estimate, since the previous one was announced before the city officially took over the construction project, and no plan was released at that point. They have yet to get back to me with an estimate.
The HOA management company, CAMCO said the cheapest replacement plan they could find before Sept. 10 was $1.4 million, so there's still no clear answer on the cost.
The city is expected to front the cost of repairs, and a tax lien will be placed on each property to pay the city back. That would start September 2025.
Residents are concerned the tax lien will be too costly if issues continue to emerge in this project.
“That’s why I said no, please, please be kind to us," Pulido said.
The City of Henderson say the total cost of the project and timeline could change depending on the work that needs to be done.
