Carpenter Pays $8,150 to Restore Water at Shady Meadows

Water flowed again at the Shady Meadows Mobile Home Park in Cibolo, Texas, on Wednesday after a co-owner stepped in to cover a delinquent bill. Treva Carpenter said she paid the City of Cibolo $8,150 out of her own pocket to end the outage that had lasted more than 24 hours.

The shutoff stemmed from a $22,000 balance that has remained unpaid since 2023. Carpenter attributed the debt to her business partner, stating he has failed to pay the utility costs. The lack of payment caused the service interruption, which affected longtime residents of the park located off Farm-to-Market 78.

Julie Phillips, a tenant who has lived at the property for over 20 years, contacted Carpenter on Tuesday to report the issue. Following the report, Carpenter negotiated with city officials to restore service. The agreement required an immediate payment of $8,050 by Wednesday and an additional $6,000 for utilities by the end of the year.

Carpenter noted that the financial strain is compounded by tenants who are also behind on rent. She said multiple renters are thousands of dollars in arrears, making it harder to resolve the growing utility debt. The unresolved balance has created tension among the residents and management.

Phillips expressed relief that the water returned but voiced concern about the stability of the arrangement. “I hope it stays on so we don’t have to move anywhere else, because we don’t have nothing saved up or anything like that to get out of here,” she said.

Residents have discussed the possibility of a foreclosure at the property, though Carpenter has not confirmed that process has begun. The park remains open to residents as of this writing.