ARCHBALD -- Residents of a mobile home park in Lackawanna County are being put on notice that their homes are no longer safe to live in.
Warning notices were tacked up Wednesday afternoon at Valley View Estates in Archbald which has not had water since Monday.
As worried residents looked on, inspectors with a private firm went door to door in Valley View Estates, putting warning notices on doors.
They were brought in by Archbald officials to alert residents their mobile home park was no longer safe to live in.
The park has had no water since Monday when Pennsylvania American Water shut it off due to outstanding past bills that residents say the property's owner has not paid.
While the signs are not eviction notices, residents worry that may be next.
“We need this turned back on. These people have no place to go. They live here because this is their home,” said resident Giovanna Malcolm.
Residents were given both a 30-day notice from the water company as well as a 10-day notice which informed them the water shut off to the park could be avoided with a payment of nearly $3,900.
At least one resident put her monthly rent toward that total.
“I chose instead of paying the park manager the rent, I chose to pay the American Water company upon receiving these notices on our doors,” said a resident who didn’t want to give her name.
Residents said the landlord and owner of Valley View Estates, Eugene Egan, is locked up.
Police confirm he's being held in Berks County on drug charges.
“The landlord, owner, is in prison and he's going to be there for a while,” said Malcolm. “My opinion is it's up to the manager to set up and pay the bill, but he won't do that. He says he can't.”
“People have paid, put money on water bills rather than pay the rent because he's not doing anything,” said resident Mildred Matylewicz. “It's deplorable and we go through this every month because he's not doing anything.”
Pennsylvania American Water says water to Valley View Estates was shut off once before in September of 2015, also due to failure by the owner to pay bills.
Pennsylvania American Water will be providing a water tanker for residents on Wednesday night.