Yorktowne Condominium residents scramble to make water payment

Residents at a College Park condominium complex were rushing Monday night to gather money to pay tens of thousands for a water bill before the city tus off water to the complex.

Residents at the Yorktowne Condominium moved out the last of their items. Wally Clarke told our reporter he has lived at the condos for seven years.

"It's rough. It's real rough", Clarke said.

He rented a new apartment for him and his wife and is now faced with paying a mortgage on a home in which he can't live.

Yorktowne Condominium's board of directors met with over a dozen homeowners Monday night taking in donations and gathering last minute payments to try to meet Tuesday's water bill deadline of $56,000.

"We did collect just under $10,000 even though we had only 15, 18 people in the meeting," said Ron Johnson, interim president of the condo board.

He told Georgia Newsday the community's water bill skyrocketed to $336,000 due to a long undetected leak which was recently fixed. He said he wants the city to take the money they have now and let them make monthly payments.

"Several people are retired, and they're counting on this asset, this property for their retirement and this is going to wipe these people out," he added.

College Park councilman Tracey Wyatt said the city already agreed to wipe half of the outstanding bill. Without the money due Tuesday moing, Wyatt said the plan is for the water to be tued off.

Neighbors such as Clarke said it's unclear if they will ever get to retu to their homes.

"I don't know. I’m so sad right now," Clarke said.