A communitywe introduced you to three weeks ago fighting against water leaks and sinkholes is finally about to get some relief.
The City of Henderson will start replacing the Somerset Park's failing water systemthis week.
Residents should expect to see construction crews out starting work Monday night. All residents received a notice from the city saying water will be turned off Monday night and Tuesday night from 9 p.m. - 5 a.m. as crews start the repairs.
The city says crews are expected to start at the entrances of community Monday and Tuesday night.
That means you should expect crews at the entrance off of Sunset Road and Natalee Drive, plus Haren Drive Kristin Lane.
“You gotta take the good with the bad," said 17-year Somerset Park resident Stefane Torres. "Does it suck that this has come down to it? Absolutely, but there’s a lot of reasons that it has built up to this point.”
Torres says this past year, the problem with the community's water distribution system escalated quickly.
“It’s never looked like this, we’ve not had this many water leaks," Torres said.
It got to the point where the City of Henderson stepped in. On August 26, a letter was given out to residents saying they'll shut off water September 10 and that all residents would have to move out.
Later that same day is when we heard from Ulyses Basulto, who lives in the community. He sent Channel 13 an email alerting us to what was going on.
“I just felt like it was something that was needed to be broadcasted out so that way everybody could see it," Basulto said.
Basulto did not want to show his face on camera, but since his email, we've visited the community more than a dozen times speaking with residents and trying to find out what would happen next and who will be held accountable.
Despite work starting up Monday, Basulto, like many others, still has questions.
“There’s still so much that we haven’t, we don’t know the details of," Basulto said.
WATCH | How did the Somerset Park situation happen? We have the answers here.
Here's what we know.
According to the city, residents will not be kicked out of their homes, and will be allowed to stay in their home during construction.
Construction is expected to last 45 days with the majority of the work happening Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Residents will have to pay for this project through a tax lien that goes into effect September 2025.
The cost of the project has yet to be announced. Originally Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero told Channel 13 September 3during a press conference, that the estimated cost would be between $400,000 - $600,000.
WATCH that full press conference here:
The HOA management company, CAMCO says they weren't able to find a company to do it for less than $1.4 million though.
I reached out to the City of Henderson several times regarding the price of the project, but I have yet to hear back.
In a letter detailing the project that was sent out to residents Thursday, the city says "The total cost will be based on the completed project cost."
The city says construction will include breaking up the concrete patios of the residents, filling the concrete back in and paving the areas that need fixing from the water leaks, along with the full replacement of the water distribution system.
Since the city announced the construction timeline, several residents, renters and homeowners, have moved out of the community.
Several utilities including Southwest Gas and Cox Cable have placed flags and marked their underground lines before construction begins.
