Great Water Leak

Unfortunately, we've had a significant neighborhood water leak. This leak happened under the concrete driveways of 2616 and 2618 East Oaklawn Court. This was not an internal leak within their townhomes but a water leak for the entire neighborhood's water supply.

The way our water works is that the city bills us each month for the total water use of all Oaklawn Park units. That total is then divided up and billed to each unit. We currently pay out that total based on the square footage of each unit. Larger townhomes then pay more than smaller townhomes based on that square footage.

Our typical total water bill each month is between $15,000 and $17,000. That total is then divided between our 167 townhomes by that square footage.

Our water bill for the month that included the leak (October) is $21,566.86. Focus Property Management is going to try to work with the utility to see if we can get a reduction in the sewage fees for that month since so much of that water clearly did not go through the sewage system (instead leaking out into the ground/streets).

We will though need to pay for whatever total is left after what we hope will be reduced sewage fees. Unfortunately, you will see one water bill that is larger than normal. This will be why.

Outside of the additional water used, the repairs to the water lines have cost the HOA just over $13,000. There will be additional cost to replace the concrete that was removed to access/repair the water leaks. Those costs will be paid out of the HOA account/your standard dues payments.

• Kyle Thompson