POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro has asked the county legislature for $100,000 to pay for potable water and acceptable septic facilities for residents of the Cooper Road Mobile Home Park in Wappinger.
The water system issues, including inoperable chlorine disinfection, were declared a public health emergency and detrimental to public health after the park’s owner, Michael Robilotta, fired the certified water system operator and failed to make repairs to the water system as ordered by the county commissioner of Behavioral and Community Health as per state and county sanitary codes.
“This is a complicated situation where residents who own their mobile home have been victimized by the park owner who chose to walk away from his responsibilities as a landlord,” said Molinaro. “It is not as easy to simply move a mobile home as the name implies and these families should not be forced to abandon the homes they have invested in and start again somewhere else.”
He said the county “will not allow these residents to be chased from their homes.”
Molinaro said the county will do “what is necessary to ensure the public health and safety of park residents and use the full extent of the law to make certain justice is served against the property owner.”
Under the commissioner’s order, the county Water and Wastewater Authority has been authorized to evaluate, operate, secure, and make necessary emergency repairs to the water supply system.
