Dalton Mobile Home Resident Files Complaint Over Sinking Yard
DALTON, Mass. — A Victoria Villa Mobile Home Park resident has filed a complaint with the Select Board over maintenance of his driveway.
The issue stems repairs done several years ago to fix failing septic tanks in the mobile home park.
Although the septic issue has been resolved, he says residents are still dealing with repercussions from the repairs. The ground where the tanks had been replaced are sinking and the residents are having trouble getting their driveways repaired.
Glen Garvey told the Select Board, convened as the Rent Control Board on Monday, that he had asked owner Michael Deep what he planned to do after digging everything up to complete the repairs and had been assured that the driveways would be paved. That has not happened, he said.
"During the project, I spoke to him at least five times, several times about my driveway. And all five times he said he would take care of it, basically lied to me," Garvey said. "And then the last one, the actual blacktop machine, was parked in front of my house and drove away."
Garvey said he has to carry a disabled person into the house because they are unable to walk through the muddy terrain. He also said his home is tilted slightly and that the rent increased despite the lack of effort made to repair these concerns.
Deep had asked for a two-phase rent increase of $80, pending approval of the new septic system, to be implemented in 2015 and 2016. The first increase of $40 was enacted in 2015 but the project was not completed until 2018 because of construction delays. Soon after, town officials said they discovered problems with the project after water began to puddle on the top of the leach field.
Health Agent Edward Fahey said the sand used to filter the wastewater in the septic system was not Title 5 sand and needed to be replaced since it did not meet health standards. The Select Board put Deep's request to increase the monthly rent on hold again until he resolved this concern. The second phase of the rent increase was approved in 2020.
Vice Chairman Robert W. Bishop Jr. and Chairman Joseph A. Diver did a site visit in 2019. During that time, Diver took a picture of the sinkhole in Garvey's yard and informed him to put a stick in it which is still there.
"You took a picture of a sinkhole in my yard. Told me to put a stick in it. It's still there. He lied to you guys. He didn't fix things," Garvey said. "Unfortunately, when you gave him the rent increase, I had given you guys a folder with a lot of the septic tank areas and a lot of the homes that are sinking, the ground is just sinking. And that's now happening in my house. My house is actually tilted slightly."
The Select Board made a motion to have the town manager direct the building inspector, Health Department, and Conservation Commission to do a site visit and report back with their findings.
