When owner Morgan Management first hiked the rents, the Selectmen ordered a freeze on the rents until 2011, at which time the rents increased 33 percent to $468. According to enterprisenews, last year the Rent Control Board gave Morgan nine months to repair the drainage system and the roads, and they said very little has been done, so they are now considering rolling back the rents. At one time the Selectmen refused to roll back rents for fear Morgan might default on the mortgage and be unable to make needed repairs.
Morgan’s attorney, Robert Kraus said he sent out proposals to five contractors for the work in February but not one responded, so he redid the proposal and expects two bids soon. Justin DaMore of Meyers Environmental, also representing Morgan, said the water table is only 11 inches below ground. He said, “The sewer is going to be multiple feet below ground. We have to pump the ground water somewhere and it would flood the system. We have to protect the subsurface system so we don’t overload it.” DaMore also said it would not make sense to repair the roads now because they would have to be torn up in order to repair the sewer system.
Kraus denied that 30,000 gallons of untreated wastewater going into a nearby wetlands came from the community, a statement refuted by the town’s Board of Health that said a failed lifter system in the community was, indeed, the culprit. The Selectmen will meet July 27 for the rent reduction hearing. ##
(Photo credit: wickedlocal-Easton Mobile Home Park, Easton, Mass.)
