SAN ANTONIO – Most have gone, and the rest will have to go.
On the same day the property's owner was indicted, the remaining residents at Oak Hollow Mobile Home Park learned they would need to leave. Faced with fixing the park's septic tanks or closing it, the city said the property owner decided to close the park.
The park has been facing trouble for the past year. The city found health and safety violations from leaking septic systems in October 2016, according to a letter on Thursday from Human Services director Melody Woosley to residents.
A dozen households were ordered to vacate after that. More have left since then, either on their own or with the city's help.
A release from the office of Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who used to represent District 8 where the park is located, said 17 families remain on the property.
Jesus Arredondo and his family left last year.
"You could just walk in the park, and you knew there was a problem," he said.
Woosley wrote in the letter there have been more sewage leaks since last October, and the property has been identified as a public nuisance.
On Thursday, the Bexar County District Attorney's Office announced an indictment against San Man, Inc., owned by Joseph Mangione, for "intentional or knowing unauthorized discharge of a pollutant," sewage in this case.
San Man, Inc. allowed the discharge of sewage from Apr. 20, 2014 to Nov. 16, 2016, according to the indictment. The felony charge is punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $250,000 for a corporation.
The release from Nirenberg’s office also mentioned civil lawsuits filed by the city against the corporation.
State law requires the owner to fix the tanks or close the property, Woosley wrote in her letter. And the owner has chosen to close. So residents need to relocate by Feb. 19, 2018.
Dominic "Micky" Mangione, Joseph Mangione's brother and the former manager of the mobile home park, said the septic tanks have been fixed. The issue, he said, is that the city wants the park to connect to the city's sewer system, which he said would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The release from Nirenberg's office said the "entire sanitation system on the property was not authorized by the State of the County."
Joe Mangione's son, Scott, is also a resident of the park and echoed his uncle's concerns.
"I think they just want to tie in the sewer system and collect money from the residents here instead of the septic tanks," he said.
"This was a community of people who worked together and solved each other's problems at very low income. And everyone was happy."
To residents who have yet to leave, Arredondo said the move may be hard, but things will get better.
"When you're there in a better place and you don't have to deal with these issues anymore, I think they'll be thankful for what happened," he said.
The city will provide relocation assistance of up to $4,500 per lot. Residents should contact the Fair Housing Manager with questions about their move or a request for assistance at 210-259-3593.