After a year of lawsuits, water bills, and disputes over maintenance, the lakes at Greenhills Estates in Chowchilla, California, are receiving water again.
Here's what to know
According to The Merced Focus, a number of disputes have come to the forefront involving residents and who controls the maintenance of the lakes.
Among them, current and former homeowners are formally challenging the Greenhills Masters Association Homeowners Association Board. Martin Boone, a Pheasant Run managing member and Water Resource Council board member, has also filed defamation claims against HOA President John Campbell. Meanwhile, an earlier lawsuit from Greenhills remains in court.
In their case against the Greenhills Masters Association HOA, homeowners accuse the board of violating California law as well as the community's own governing documents.
Among the remedies they are seeking are resumed lake maintenance, dismissal of the HOA's existing lawsuits, restored clubhouse access, the return of gym equipment, greater transparency, and repayment for residents who were unable to use community amenities, according to The Merced Focus.
The homeowners are separately disputing added charges levied on some lakefront properties and are asking for records showing those fees were properly approved, the outlet reported.
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Bill VanPatten, a former Greenhills resident who remains a defendant in the HOA's lawsuits, said the board's approach at the outset is the real problem: "Follow procedure, which is you try to mediate first. You don't just run to a court and sue."
Separately, Boone has filed a cross-complaint against HOA President John Campbell. Boone alleges libel, slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, citing Campbell's statements on the neighborhood social media app Nextdoor, The Merced Focus reported.
More background
In Greenhills, the breakdown between the HOA and residents helped lead to shrinking lakes, dead fish, and algae issues, turning what might have remained a contract dispute into a visible quality-of-life problem for the neighborhood.
The dispute centers on a 2021 agreement that assigns Greenhills 66.77% of operating and maintenance costs because of the lakes' surface area, according to The Merced Focus.
According to the outlet, Greenhills later challenged the cost-sharing arrangement and filed a lawsuit over the dispute.
The Greenhills sent the Water Resource Council, the entity that manages Greenhills' lakes, subsequently offered non-binding mediation, but the HOA did not respond. According to The Merced Focus, the WRC was sent a letter on July 24 along with a check for $308,732.92 to cover overdue costs under the shared water agreement.
Pheasant Run is meanwhile trying to enforce the shared water agreement and is seeking at least $67,569.66 in damages tied to legal expenses and unpaid licensing fees, according to The Merced Focus.
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