New Sewickley Township residents of the Forest Brook mobile home park are sounding the alarm over ongoing water‑quality and sewer‑line failures that have persisted for months. Rachael Hankle, who moved to the park in March, told Action News 4 that a boil‑water advisory was issued in mid‑April and that pipe breaks have left the community without water for two to three days at a time.
When water does flow, Hankle says it often smells like “rotten eggs” and appears brown. She also reports that a broken sewer line is causing sewage to back up beneath her home and seep into neighboring yards, creating a foul odor for other residents.
Rent hikes continue despite unresolved issues
Hankle added that Stackhouse Management, the company that oversees Forest Brook, has continued to raise rents while failing to address the water and sewer problems. “Everything is going up in price now and then. Now we have to deal with this, and they keep raising our rent, but they’re not fixing any of the issues,” she said.
Similar complaints at other Stackhouse properties
Residents in other Stackhouse‑managed mobile home communities across western Pennsylvania are reporting comparable frustrations. Action News 4 has been tracking water‑quality concerns at Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Butler County for nearly a year, highlighting a pattern of service failures at the company’s properties.
Local officials move to enforce fines
In September, the Connoquenessing Township Board of Supervisors authorized code‑enforcement fines against Stackhouse Management after repeated water‑service failures at Rolling Valley Estates. Board chairman Angela Fleeger explained that the board initially held off on fines because the company appeared to be making changes, but a recent outage and continued lack of response prompted the decision to proceed.
The township is also coordinating with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and State Representative Aaron Bernstine to seek a lasting solution.
Calls for state assistance
Hankle said she has reached out to the DEP and New Sewickley Township officials for help, but she has yet to receive a concrete response. Action News 4 contacted the director of site infrastructure for Stackhouse Management, who declined to comment, and the outlet is awaiting a reply from the company’s attorney.
Local leaders emphasize that the water‑quality challenges faced by mobile home residents are not isolated. “There are many, many trailer parks throughout Pennsylvania dealing with the same types of issues,” Fleeger said. “They don’t know what to do. They don’t know where to turn.”
As the community continues to grapple with unsafe drinking water and sewage backups, residents are urging both the property manager and state regulators to take swift corrective action to protect families and restore basic services.
Original reporting: WTAE (Hearst) – local — read the source article.
