Residents tell lawmakers private hydrants, fee hikes put manufactured-home communities at risk

Dozens of manufactured-home residents, local elected officials and park owners told the General Law Committee on March 20 that recent lot-fee increases, poor park maintenance and privately owned fire hydrants have left some communities unsafe and residents at financial risk.

Residents and local officials pressed the committee to back House Bill 5428, proposed changes that would add consumer protections, increase required relocation payments when parks redevelop and give towns more tools to enforce safety standards. Testimony focused on a September 2024 propane-line explosion in an East Hartford park, recurring problems with private fire hydrants and rapidly rising monthly lot fees that many residents say outpace their fixed incomes.

The committee’s hourlong public record included harrowing detail about the East Hartford blast and its aftermath. Representative Henry Jenga, who has brought constituents’ concerns to the panel, described the emergency response and the park’s deficiencies. "This is the primary responsibility of government, public safety. There's none higher," he told the panel, urging stronger state oversight of privately owned park infrastructure. Several residents described living without reliable water or heat for days after the explosion; one witness said a boil-water…