Water Quality Issues Affect Barnegat Senior Community: Residents

BARNEGAT, NJ — Residents of a Barnegat mobile home park say that water quality issues plague their community.

Pinewood Estates, a 55-and-older manufactured home community, has had water issues for years, its residents said at a recent Township Committee meeting.

David Kruczek, a Pinewood Estates resident, said that nobody in the park knew about an emergency water repair at the park on a Saturday until they were given a boil water advisory on Monday. He said he was worried that this could threaten the lives of his neighbors.

"All of us are over 65, many of us pushing 95," Kruczek said. "We're drinking possibly contaminated water."

Kruczek asked for some sort of notification system to prevent this from happening. Although Pinewood Estates is private property and not on the same water, "we're citizens," he said.

"If you have to call a plumber, make arrangements, schedule this stuff - you can't send us a notify?" Kruczek said, questioning the emergent status of the repair.

Another longtime Pinewood Estates resident, Diane Grockenberger, said that the water report claimed that the water was perfect in 2021, but shared that for six and a half weeks early in 2021, the water was brown.

"There are so many issues in that park, it's not even funny," Grockenberger said.

She similarly shared fear of the water impacting the older residents.

Grockenberger also said that rents are changing in the park for new residents, without going through the Rent Leveling Board, and the management is blaming the township.

With all of the problems at Pinewood Estates, Grockenberger said she wants to talk to someone higher up than the township to look into things. She said she has been documenting issues for the past 17 years, adding that it may have to escalate to a class action suit, hitting more companies than just this.

"They don't just do it to us," Grockenberger said. "They do it all over."

She voiced frustration over having to come before the committee repeatedly.

"Seventeen years, and we're still drinking bad water," Grockenberger said, adding that 17 years ago was when she first reached out to the township for help. "Seventeen years ago, and I'm still standing here, complaining about a water problem we're having."

She said the only time something gets done is when a member of the government reaches out to Pinewood Estates, adding that residents are fearful of management retaliation and harassment.

Mayor Alfonso Cirulli said that they were limited as to what they could do in the community, but said he would reach out and help how he could.