Apple Valley Village Residents Voice Concerns at Hearing
Residents of Southington’s Apple Valley Village mobile home park appeared before the fair rent commission last Monday to seek redress for issues at the park they allege are unfair and hazardous.
“Residents have raised concerns about water reliability, hazardous trees, roads and drainage, snow and ice, common areas, emergency response, communication with management and delays in correcting the problems. We are also now being charged separately for well water, sewer and trash,” said resident Tracy Miller.
Apple Valley Village, located on Dunham Street, has a rather unique ownership arrangement. Residents own their homes, but rent the land the homes are on. They also pay for water and other utilities. The land is owned by Pyramid Real Estate Group of Stamford.
Residents say their expectations of management, including a clean and safe environment, are reasonable, but that these needs have long gone unmet. The recent rent increases have also been excessive, residents say.
“This is about much more than a $50 rent increase. Our monthly land lease is going from $550 to $600, plus an additional $12 for well water, $14.17 for sewer and $12 for trash. That brings our total monthly obligation to $638.17 before any resident-specific changes. That is an increase of $88.17 per month, or about 16%. The question we are asking the commission is simple: What are we receiving in return for that increase?” said Miller, who testified on behalf of herself and neighbors on Monday.
Residents say that trash is not collected in a timely manner, common areas are not cared for, fines for minor infractions are common, standing water and ice are not addressed, and that several areas are overgrown with poison ivy.
Some also say that they receive threatening emails from management. On March 11, residents received an email that they say threatened automatic fines on their account if they did not send photo proof that they had moved winter items such as snow shovels inside. For the elderly and disabled living in Apple Valley Village, as well as those on fixed incomes, threats of automatic fines are particularly upsetting.
“This email was so intimidating and threatening that some residents went outside in the pouring rain to remove shovels and winter items off of their lots in fear of receiving fines on their accounts,” said Miller.
The July 4 storm only exacerbated the issues, as downed trees and other hazardous items were not cleaned up for days, according to State Representative Rebecca Martinez of the 22nd district. Apple Valley Village falls in Martinez’s jurisdiction.
“One of the things that has stayed with me from that day on July 7, three days after the storm, is I got there before the property owners did,” said Martinez. “I am the State Representative. I do not own Apple Valley. I am not responsible for those trees, those roads, that infrastructure, or making sure residents can safely get in and out. When I arrived, trees were down and leaning. There were electrical wires on the ground. Access in and out of the park was disrupted. A tree had come directly down onto a resident's home and vehicle, and that home was later posted as unsafe.”
While an emergency line is available for residents, Martinez said there was no answer after the storm. A $350 fine associated with usage of the line deterred some from even trying to call.
“The fear was real when I first came into that park. I had several residents look at me, look at me right in the face, and tell me that they hadn't called the emergency line yet because they were afraid of a $350 fine. They didn't even know how they were going to replace the food in their fridge, and that loss, let alone a $350 fine,” said Martinez.
Five days after the storm, on July 9, a resident with serious medical concerns, one who relies on oxygen, had to be transported by ambulance to the hospital upon suffering a medical emergency. Park management had not removed large trees and other hazards by then, so first responders had to access Apple Valley Village by taking a detour through the nearby Thalberg Elementary School property. This delayed the medical care that the individual needed to receive, Martinez said.
“Residents told me and showed me a video that because of the access situation, the ambulance had to come through the neighboring elementary school property to reach that resident, and getting the resident out and into the ambulance became a lengthy process. I have heard similar concerns during the winter storms,” said Martinez, who attended Monday’s meeting to advocate on behalf of her constituents at the village.
In response to the allegations, attorney Edward Schenkel, who was representing Pyramid Real Estate at the meeting, said the rent increase was “more than justified,” given the ownership has lost money by investing in the property.
“They take pride in all of their properties, and many of them they've owned for many years. Moreover, a number of the properties that they purchased years ago have not turned out to be very profitable. But you know what? They have stuck with it, and they're dedicated to improving the properties, improving the communities that they invest in, and this property is one of them. The financial evidence will demonstrate that the net loss in the last five years of Dunham mobile park is $363,520. Despite that loss, the landlord has still invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital improvements and deferred maintenance, all in an effort to improve the park,” said Schenkel.
Schenkel also denied a delayed cleanup after the July storm, saying Eversource had told property management that they could not begin the tree-removal process until powerlines in the area were secured and the property was made safe. Furthermore, he said the responsibilities of residents are outlined in their contracts, and the ownership maintains the right to hold them responsible for infractions.
Testimony from both sides was almost derailed before it even began Monday night, when Democratic commissioner Regina Coviello alleged the June 9 meeting that saw Republican Susan Zabohonski elected Chairperson did not have a proper quorum.
“The procedural issue is that there was not a quorum for that vote,” Coviello said.
Town attorney Lou Martocchio asserted that there was a proper quorum present, and the meeting continued after Coviello left in protest.
The hearings into the issues at Apple Valley Village are slated to resume at the commission’s November 10 meeting.
