Water fears in Teller County subdivision
An investigation going on since June still has netted no arrests or eased the fears of Arabian Acres homeowners between Divide and Florissant. They were told that a now former executive of their Metropolitan District may have taken off with the money. It comes from water bills and pays for the upkeep of the nine water wells and buys water if it’s needed.
Jim Nash is a homeowner and the President of the Property Owners Association. He told me he and others are irate that there have been no arrests and with the cold weather coming there is a fear that there won’t be any money to buy water if the wells freeze up. He told me, “The money is gone and right now I don’t know where we are going to get the money to cover the bills that we have right now.” Arabian Acres already owes 45-thousand to a private water trucking company which isn’t going to bring any more water until its bill is paid in full.
Martin Cook is the Property Owners Association’s Vice President. He is just as concerned for his property and the other 140 property owners in this subdivision, “I’m very upset. Since June when we learned about this, we’ve conveyed this to everyone, conserve as much water as you can.”
Elric Winterer and his family have listened to that conservation message and have taken it to heart. He told me his strategy which has cut his bill in half, “Showers and baths are quick and infrequent. You don’t flush unless you need to.”
Woodland Park Police confirmed to me that a detective started the investigation in June and passed the case on to the El Paso, Teller Counties, District Attorney’s Office. So far there have been no arrests. It’s because there may be more than one jurisdiction involved in this investigation. I also emailed the Arabian Acres Metropolitan District to find out more about the vanished money and what it intends to do for the people who live in Arabian Acres.
UPDATE: I was faxed a response from the Arabian Acres Metropolitan District’s attorney on Tuesday. In part, it confirms what I told you in my original story. It also goes into more detail in a letter dated in September which asks the El Paso, Teller County District Attorney’s Office to make this case a high priority in its investigation.
