HENDERSON (KTNV) — The future of the Somerset Park Community has been decided.
The Somerset Park HOA and its current management company CAMCO, held a board meeting with residents on Monday night. At the meeting, it was announced that the City of Henderson would be in charge of fully replacing the water distribution system.
That failing system has led to leaks across the community and several sinkholes, impacting the way of life for people in Somerset Park. The City of Henderson says the entire system has to be replaced, as massive leaks have led to sink holes in the community.
I have detailed several residents' stories from this community for the past three weeks, including Kenny Kester.
“What I don’t like about it is that we’re footing the bill for something we didn’t create. We did not create this," said Kester, a Somerset Park resident since 2018.
I spoke with Kester last week in his Somerset Park home. He tells me he loves living here, but doesn't believe residents should have to pay for the replacement costs.
“We paid our bills. It’s the people who took the money from there that didn’t handle it right," Kester said.
Local and state leaders tell me the issue is negligence and mismanagement of funds from the former HOA management company.
Those officials tell me that's why the issue can't be easily fixed — because there's little to no leftover money for the HOA to use to overhaul the complex's water system.
According to Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero, the city will front the replacement cost, but Somerset Park residents will have to pay the city back.
“They will absolutely have to pay for this. Most likely it will be through their tax system, through a tax lien," Romero said.
State Assemblywoman and Somerset Park home owner Danielle Gallant, who also manages two properties at Somerset Park, tells me getting a bid together to fully replace the system by a Sept. 10 deadline was difficult.
“I think the city created a very aggressive timeline that I think they’re going to have difficulty adhering to," Gallant said.
CAMCO, the current Somerset Park HOA management company, sent me this statement Monday night after the decision was made:
“CAMCO HOA management hosted Somerset Park community members at a meeting to adopt a budget and discuss needed repairs. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the homeowners that the HOA board is accepting the City of Henderson’s assistance for the total replacement of the plumbing. The board reviewed bids with the lowest right now being $1.4 million for total replacement. The city told the board they will not accept the repair to the plumbing as a solution so the bids CAMCO received for repairs cannot be considered. The city would not give the association an extension to review more bids, and the association has to comply with the September 10 deadline to have permits on file for total replacement.”
Along with the water distribution system replacement plan, the HOA approved a collection plan for people not paying their HOA fees which could lead to a collections company getting involved.
The 2025 budget was also approved with HOA fee increases from $347.50 to $412.
Romero told Channel 13 last week the estimated project cost is around $400,000 to $600,000 — plus the tax lien on each property would be around $5,000 to $7,000.
Local and state leaders tell me the city bids have not been released, and further information on the actual cost to the homeowners has yet to be released.
We will update you with that information once we get it.
