ALEXANDRIA — Katrina Rushing assumed that, as long as she paid her utility bill, she would always have water.
On Aug. 12, Rushing and other residents of the 74 lots at Alexandria Mobile Home Park learned differently.
Mayor Todd Naselroad informed them that their water would be shut off Aug. 25 — even if they had paid their monthly bill for water and sewage service to Park Place Communities, the Arizona company that owns the mobile home park.
When the 25th, Monday, rolled around — as Naselroad foretold — kitchen faucets, toilers and shower heads all went dry at Alexandria Mobile Home Park.
Naselroad said that Park Place had not paid its water bill since 2023, resulting in debt of more than $97,350 owed to the city of Alexandria.
Park Place must pay at least $50,000 — or reach a payment agreement with the city — before water service is returned to the trailer park, the mayor said.
A resolution can’t come fast enough for Rushing and other Alexandria Mobile Home Park residents.
“I have two children living at home,” she said Tuesday. “I don’t have access to running water, so I have to rely on other sources to do my laundry, flush my toilet. I can’t do my dishes.”
Naselroad noted that residents pay their monthly water bills, along with their lot payment and, if applicable, home rent to Park Place, trusting that the company will then forward water payments along to the city.
“They’ve had several leaks out there, which drove up their utility bill,” the mayor noted.
“They’ve just consistently gotten behind. We’ve tried to work with him (the owner), but it’s just not happening.”
Utah residents Mike and Kara Ayala own Alexandria Mobile Home Park. Mike Ayala also is a managing partner and chief executive officer of Park Place Communities.
According to the Park Place website, he “currently owns 160 Mobile Home lots, has renovated over 500 units, and manages over $1M a year in rents.”
Rushing said she paid a total of $1,100 to Park Place for August. The total included lot rent, home rent and her portion of water and sewer bills.
After Naselroad informed residents that the water would be cut off, Rushing reached out to Park Place, placing several calls before finally getting a response. A representative of the company told her they were “unaware” of the situation, Rushing said.
Subsequently, on Tuesday, Park Place Communities e-mailed the following message to residents of the Alexandria trailer park:
“We are genuinely sorry for the disruption of water service. We will be in touch with more details. We are working with the city on an interim solution to get the water back on immediately and simultaneously working to acquire the resources to get the ongoing issues resolved.
“As you may or may not know, we have been through major transitions in the last 18 months and we are getting to a resolution that will allow the capital to be invested in the community. Bear with us today as we work through this and get it resolved for you, your families and the community.”
The Ayalas and Park Place management did not respond to The Herald Bulletin’s requests for comment for this article.
Not having water service isn’t just disruptive, it’s doubly frustrating for residents who have paid for it.
“I want to know where my money went,” said Amanda Davis, Rushing’s sister and a fellow resident at the trailer park.
She and Rushing said that they feel they’ve been taken advantage of by Park Place Communities.
This isn’t the first time Park Place has left Madison County trailer park residents dry by failing to pay its water bills. Residents of Countryside Villages Trailer Park in Anderson had their water shut off during the last week of July.
Park Place owed the city of Anderson more than $15,000. After Park Place paid $4,180 of that, water was restored.
Park Place owns other trailer parks in the area, including Fairmount Estates Mobile Home Park and Sherwood Nottingham Mobile Home Community, both in Grant County.
In Alexandria, the community has begun to mobilize.
Naselroad noted that a few local churches, including New Day Baptist Church, have pitched in to supply bottled water to residents for cooking, drinking and flushing toilets.
“We’re trying to get them some resources for water,” he said Friday.
“Some churches have stepped up. We’re going to get some five-gallon buckets. We’re going to have a 275-gallon tote of water out there just for flushing toilets. We have a place lined up for them to shower.”
The water crisis at the Alexandria trailer park has also caught the attention of state and local health officials.
A representative of the Indiana State Department of Health was onsite Tuesday afternoon collecting information and talking with residents.
Joe Davis, deputy administrator of the Madison County Health Department, said his department has notified Park Place management that it will consult with County Attorney Jeff Graham about potential legal action against the company if water hasn’t been restored in five days.
If the trailer park owners make a compelling case that they need more time, the grace period could be extended to 10 days, Davis said.
Meanwhile, residents of the trailer park are left dry and frustrated.
“Eventually, the donations and water are going to run out,” Rushing said Wednesday.
She also had this message for the Ayalas and Park Place: “Pay your bills so I can get my water on. Tell me what you did with my money.”