Residents unhappy with mobile home parks' management

NORWALK — Residents of two Norwalk mobile home parks have complained recently about unexpectedly high water bills and poor maintenance at the facilities they occupy. City officials agreed with residents in commenting on conditions at Midtown Manor and Key Estates, both owned by I and R Properties, of Brunswick. "There's been, over the past few years, a lot of complaints about them," said Norwalk Mayor Dave Light. "I'm not sure if it's an overcharge or what's going on," said Tami Carlson-Fields, who lives at Midtown Manor. She said her latest monthly water and sewer bill was more than $500, and she has had no explanation from the company. Carlson-Fields noted that her water and sewer bills normally run between $40 and $50, never having been more than $180. I and R is furnished sewer services and water by the city of Norwalk. In turn, it sells those utilities to the residents, by way of its own private meters, located beneath residents' mobile homes, according to city officials. Carson-Fields and other residents complained that they are unable to obtain any response from I and R Properties. Carlson-Fields said she is having the plumbing in her residence inspected to determine if there are any water leaks, but she does not suspect any. She said others in the park have shown her water and sewer bills of $600 and $1,600. "It was kind of a sticker shock," Carlson-Fields said. Light, Carlson-Fields and Midtown Manor resident Steven Trimble all said water service interruptions have happened at the parks in the past, due to shutoffs for non-payment by I and R Properties. "We've had to shut the whole park off," Norwalk General Services Director Aaron Osborne confirmed. "Our complaint was, we pay our water bill," said Trimble. "Why don't they pay theirs? The neighborhood is looking awfully shabby." Trimble said lampposts in the complex are without functioning bulbs. Children, wheelchair-bound people, and even a blind resident must walk in the street — because sidewalks are inaccessible. The resident complained further that the 15 mph speed limits are ignored and that he would like to see speed bumps installed. "I'm sick and tired of the speeders going past our place," Trimble said. "They're going way too fast. They're just speeding like the dickens down there." Trimble said the issue that bothers him most is a tree behind his home. The tree, which he has reported twice by certified mail to the company beginning seven or eight years ago, is rotted and threatens to fall onto his mobile home. He said that he and his wife, Audrey, refuse to sleep in their bedroom during windy nights. "That is a major problem," he said. "When it gets windy, we sleep in the living room, in our recliners. That's my main concern." In the past, Light noted, rules and regulations regarding mobile home parks have fallen under the authority of the Ohio Department of Commerce's Mobile Home Program. Because of the problems with the program's handling of the job, Light said, the State of Ohio began allowing local governments greater leeway in adopting ordinances regarding mobile home parks. Light said such ordinances were being considered in 2019, but efforts died during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those efforts, which started under former Safety Service Director Ralph Fegley, will likely be renewed under the city's present director. "Maybe it's time for Mike White to look into that," Light said. White agreed that it was, "something that we need to look into." The safety-service director said he would forward concerns about the parks to Osborne. Osborne also noted the water and sewer rates charged customers by the property company are not regulated by the city of Norwalk. "It has nothing to do with the city," he said. "We have no control over that." A representative of I and R properties was contacted but only repeated the phrase, "No comment," to all inquiries.