INDIANAPOLIS — Residents who live at the Lakeside Pointe at Nora apartment complex woke up to find notices left by their doors stating that their water would be shut off on July 5.
The notice read:
"Attention Lakeside Pointe at Nora and Fox Club Apartment Residents.
It is possible that Citizens Energy Group may be shutting off water service to your complex as soon as July 5, 2021. In preparation of this possible event, please reference the resources below to help answer questions and determine if relocation assistance is available for you."
Followed by several phone numbers listed for organizations like the health department, community centers, and homeless services.
Residents were shocked by the notice.
"They feel they want to put these letters on our doors that this is what's going to happen, and you all have to deal with it. It's not fair,” Iiesha Hardy, who lives at the complex said.
"I've been here six years and I don't know where I'm going to go,” Mark Linton, who also lives at the complex said. "I don't have a lot of resources to be moving, I'm 68 years old and can't move myself and don't have anyone in town to help so I don't know what's going to happen."
WRTV reached out to Citizens Energy Group to learn more about the notice. A spokesperson issued this statement:
Citizens Energy Group has been made aware that the flyer below has gone out to residents of Lakeside Pointe at Nora Apartments and Fox Club Apartments in Indianapolis indicating Citizens may disconnect water services as early as July 5th. Residents should be aware that Citizens did not prepare or distribute this notice. Citizens had previously communicated to the apartment complex owners that the apartment complexes could be disconnected on or after August 2 due to a very large unpaid balance for water and wastewater utility services. Citizens is actively working with the owners of the apartment complex to establish a payment arrangement to avoid the pending disconnection. Citizens is hopeful that an arrangement with the apartment complex owners can be reached to avoid disconnecting the apartment complexes. Citizens was unaware the flyer was being distributed to residents.
While on the property our WRTV crew encountered a maintenance worker who would not provide his name but insisted that the bill has been paid and that water will not be shut off to the complex at any time.
WRTV also reached out to the owner of the apartment complex and left messages to try and learn if the bill has been paid and what residents should do. We are waiting on a response back.
WRTV Investigates learned that the letters were distributed by Marion County Health Department staff. We are waiting to learn why the letters were distributed.
In response to an inquiry WRTV sent about the distributed flyers, Lakeside Pointe at Nora responded with the following statement:
Citizens Energy Group has been made aware that the flyer below has gone out to residents of Lakeside Pointe at Nora Apartments and Fox Club Apartments in Indianapolis indicating Citizens may disconnect water services as early as July 5th. Residents should be aware that Citizens did not prepare or distribute this notice. Citizens had previously communicated to the apartment complex owners that the apartment complexes could be disconnected on or after August 2 due to a very large unpaid balance for water and wastewater utility services. Citizens is actively working with the owners of the apartment complex to establish a payment arrangement to avoid the pending disconnection. Citizens is hopeful that an arrangement with the apartment complex owners can be reached to avoid disconnecting the apartment complexes. Citizens was unaware the flyer was being distributed to residents.
