The City of Picayune has turned off the water to a mobile home park because the water bill for the park has not been paid.

Residents who live in the mobile home park on Peach Street had their water was shut off Tuesday because the park’s owner had not paid the water bill and by Thursday afternoon, service still had not been restored. Park resident Kyung Stockstill said the current park owner is Herschel Dillard and every other month the water is turned off to the park due to his failure to pay the bill.

Stockstill said she has been a resident of the park for about seven years and the current situation with the water has become a problem only since Dillard took over ownership, which was last year.

By Thursday, the problem was serious enough for Stockstill to stay with her neighbor, Robert Parker, until the water is turned back on. City Clerk Priscilla Daniel said she has been in touch with Dillard who told her that he intended to pay the bill by noon Thursday.

Dillard did not return a Thursday morning phone call made from the Picayune Item. Stockstill said Thursday afternoon there still was no water flowing to the park.

Problems have plagued the park in the recent past. Last year the park was not in compliance with health regulations due to faulty sewer lines and was reported to the state Health Department, Parker said. Parker said Dillard was fined by the Health Department and he then fixed the broken lines. Another sewer line problem also arose recently but was fixed by Dillard said Interim City Manager Harvey Miller.

There is a rumor going around the park that it will be shut down by the city. Parker said most of the residents, such as Stockstill, have no place to go if the park is shut down. Stockstill takes care of her handicapped daughter and Parker said there are a number of other handicapped people who live in the park.

Miller said the park is not about to be closed down by the city. It was closed down previously for three months when the park fell out of compliance with health regulations because of sewer line breaks and for having illegal dump sites. Those problems have since been fixed and the park was reopened.