ALAMOGORDO, N.M. – No hot water, no heat; some folks in Alamogordo haven’t had access to gas for going on five months now.

Fixing gas service at one park is part of a growing list of to-dos for an out-of-state mobile home park owner, and residents are frustrated.

The palm trees and front-porch mountain views helped sell the plot for Florence Dean. What she calls her last big investment.

A decision she spends a lot of time questioning these days.

“I mean, it’s not going to kill me to wash dishes, but I like my dishwasher,” said Dean.

Eight years into her retirement, she discovered gas shut off at her Desert Palms Mobile Home Park in Alamogordo.

“Like ‘Wow, how do I cook? Like, I don’t have hot water.’ No problem with heating because it’s the middle of summer, but I thought surely, they will fix this,” said Dean.

That was early June. A spokesperson for NMGCO told 4 Investigates they discovered an area leak at Desert Palms on June 13.

“On June 13, we received a call from a Desert Palms resident reporting the smell of a natural gas odor. That day, our technicians responded and identified above-ground leaks at several locations. Our technicians worked with Desert Palms management to try to locate isolation valves that would allow for isolation of the leaks; however, none were found. As a result, and as required by law, we stopped flowing gas through the master meter serving the community and informed Desert Palms management of the need for repairs before gas service could be restored. We cannot perform repairs on non-NMGC systems such as the Desert Palms community’s gas distribution system,” said a spokesperson with NMGCO, (full statement below).

“We can’t survive without some kind of utility to heat our homes,” said Dean.

Desert Palms has what’s called a master meter. That means instead of gas meters at each home, there’s one controlled by the landlord. 

A spokesman for the gas company said after they found the leak, they shut everything down, leaving it to the landlord to repair.

Neighbor Alice Evans said she’s seen no rush to fix the problem.

“I had to buy a little hot plate to cook on,” said Alice Evans, a resident at Desert Palms. “I’ve had to heat my water in a little pitcher, a little electric tea pot that I have. I have a cold shower.”

They said the owner has been making attempts at repairs. Evans said they’ve noticed some holes in the ground and contractors. But she said four months in, that shouldn’t be good enough.

“Winter coming is not a good prospect. It’s frightening,” said Evans.

The owner of Desert Palms is out of California. We wanted to talk to him, but never called us back. Turns out, he’s the same owner of another mobile home park down the street called Amber Skies. People there, told us cutting corners is expected.

“We are cash cows,” said Gary Perry, a resident at Amber Skies Mobile Home Park in Alamogordo. “We’re basically prisoners.” 

Perry helped organize outspoken residents who say rent is going up, while quality of life is going down. He points to the period when the front gate stopped working, an amenity they are charged for.

They said there are ongoing water leaks that happen sometimes days at a time. Now, it’s hard to sell and near impossible to leave.

“You can’t move these houses. You could, but the expense is out of question in addition to potential damage,” said Perry.

“This is one of the last affordable ways to have a beautiful home,” said Carolyn Ross, another resident at the Amber Skies Mobile Home Park.

Carolyn Ross said her home passed New Mexico’s required inspection. But now, her brand-new home is sinking.

“Where the piers are underwater, my dining creaks so bad. It sounds like the Titanic when I walk on it,” said Ross.

Ross called New Mexico State Regulation and Licensing which inspected the property and identified issues, staff claimed, violated New Mexico state law.

“I got a fancy letter with the governor’s letter head listing all the code violations they gave 50% blame to Amber Skies for not preparing my lot properly, or not at all, and half to the dealer, or installer because when they drove up, they should have looked at that lot and said it was not suitable. It is not right,” said Ross.

“They gave me the code violation determination it’s all legal, and fancy, and looks good. Then told me to go hire a lawyer. They’re not going to enforce it. They’re not going to help me. All the people listed in this code violation walked away scot-free to do this to the next innocent victim,” said Ross.

However, the state’s Manufactured Housing Division dropped Ross’s case for “lack of jurisdiction.” 

“I should be playing bingo right now,” said Ross. “But all I do is cry at night and worry and fight.”

The state won’t require a fix, telling her in an email it has “no legislative authority to force a contractor to comply with code corrections.”

“If they would just enforce the law, it would save my house right now,” said Ross.

There are a couple laws in place to regulate those homes and protect mobile home park residents but there’s no teeth to enforce them. 

We wanted to sit down with RLD’s Manufactured Housing Division to talk about this case, and perhaps legislative solutions. But even with a months’ notice, a spokesperson refused.

The White Sands mobile home community is also impacted by a gas leak. NMGCO said it’s working with management to get that service back up and running. 

Full Statement NMGCO:

“New Mexico Gas Company provides natural gas service to the Desert Palms and White Sands communities through master meters. As master meter customers, Desert Palms and White Sands own and maintain their own natural gas distribution systems on the other side of our master meter. We are not permitted to provide natural gas service to any master meter customer if the customer’s gas distribution system is found to pose a danger to people or property.

On April 6 and 7, we received calls regarding a natural gas odor at the White Sands community. Our technicians responded on both days and identified above and below-ground leaks at multiple locations. Our technicians worked with White Sands management to try to locate isolation valves that would allow for isolation of the leaks; however, none were found. As a result, and as required by law, we stopped flowing gas through the two master meters serving the community and informed White Sands management of the need for repairs before gas service could be restored. We cannot perform repairs on non-NMGC systems such as the White Sands community’s gas distribution system.

On June 13, we received a call from a Desert Palms resident reporting the smell of a natural gas odor. That day, our technicians responded and identified above-ground leaks at several locations. Our technicians worked with Desert Palms management to try to locate isolation valves that would allow for isolation of the leaks; however, none were found. As a result, and as required by law, we stopped flowing gas through the master meter serving the community and informed Desert Palms management of the need for repairs before gas service could be restored. We cannot perform repairs on non-NMGC systems such as the Desert Palms community’s gas distribution system.

Since discovering the leaks within both communities’ distribution systems, we have been in contact with Desert Palms and White Sands management, and we have provided assistance to them as they work to resolve the issues with their respective systems. Our personnel have made site visits to the communities as requested by the management and provided estimates of the cost to install new NMGC-owned systems, rather than master meter systems. It is our understanding that both communities have opted to repair and/or replace their current systems and remain master meter customers, rather than converting to a new NMGC-owned system.

At this time, we have been informed that repairs at the White Sands community are nearing completion. We will reintroduce gas as soon as White Sands’ gas distribution system has passed all required inspections. We will work with White Sands management and the inspecting authorities regarding these inspections. We believe management at Desert Palms is currently working on plans to repair or replace its system, but we have not been provided any further information.

We recognize the hardships that residents of the White Sands and Desert Palms communities are experiencing and the concerns they have expressed. While NMGC is not responsible for the gas distribution systems within these communities, we have been responding to requests from White Sands and Desert Palms management and providing the assistance we can, while recognizing our obligations to take reasonable measures to ensure that the gas distribution systems served by our master meters are safe.”