Trouble in Paradise?
Residents in the Sumo Golf Village development have seen their dreams of owning a fantasy home on a golf course dissolved by what one called “an utterly ridiculous pack of lies.”“We’re extremely dissatisfied and would like to have the builder buy the house back and just get out of here,” said homeowner Joe Balazs. “It’s a tragedy out here.”

Kathy and Jerry Henson look out from the deck on their home southeast of the third hole at Sumo Golf Village. Homeowners have suffered problems with the construction of their homes, as well as flooding and drainage issues. Debbie Bell/Daily Record

Trouble in Paradise?

8/26/2006
Debbie Bell
The Daily Record

FLORENCE — Residents in the Sumo Golf Village development have seen their dreams of owning a fantasy home on a golf course dissolved by what one called “an utterly ridiculous pack of lies.”

“We’re extremely dissatisfied and would like to have the builder buy the house back and just get out of here,” said homeowner Joe Balazs. “It’s a tragedy out here.”

Developer Jacinto Rodrigues has drawn the wrath of homeowners who tell a story filled with anguish since they moved in. Much of the development sustained moderate to severe damage in the July flooding, which spurred the residents’ desire to go public with their problems.

The exposure is a double-edged sword for the homeowners, however. Balazs and some of his neighbors understand the negative publicity may make it harder for them to sell in the long run, but they also believe the community has the right to know.

“Sure, we’re concerned about public backlash,” homeowner Tim Jordan said. “But a lot of people out here aren’t happy.”

In addition to inadequate drainage that contributed to the flooding problems, some Sumo Village residents claim they have had nothing but trouble since they moved in, with no response or action from Rodrigues.

To go along with the physical problems throughout the development, Balazs said they are beginning to experience financial and legal difficulties, including having liens placed against the homes there because of the developer.

Eighteen of the 24 property owners living at Sumo recently signed a letter to the Florence City Council, asking for action against Rodrigues. In response, the council placed a moratorium on new buildings in Sumo Village until the issues can be resolved.

Sumo Golf Village

Sumo is marketed as a new residential community surrounding a world-class Gary Player Golf Course with beautiful homes on lush green fairways and panoramic views of Pikes Peak.

Begun in 1991 and originally named Bear Paw Subdivision, the development was changed to Sumo Golf Village in 2002. It is located south of Florence on Colo. 67, east of the highway. It began offering two models of two-level homes in early 2003 with the vision of an upscale community on the 18-hole golf course.

But resident Balazs said the image is “an utterly ridiculous pack of lies.”

“There are so many things he (Rodrigues) is doing or not doing that make absolutely no sense,” Balazs said. “They were supposed to put 3,500 homes in here. They were going to build 52 homes this year, and they’ve built three.”

Jerry Henson, another resident, put the number of new homes built this year closer to six. He and his wife, Kathy, moved into their home just southeast of Hole 3 in October 2005 and started seeing flooding in their basement earlier this summer, even prior to the July rains.

A Plague of Problems

Henson has seen his house shift, with cracks appearing on the walls, in the flooring and even in the concrete patio. A level placed on the railing of his home’s deck shows the balance off by a full bubble.

“The dirt was never compacted,” Henson said.

He said Sumo offered to fix the porch but he was afraid the same issue would occur and has chosen instead to hire a private engineer.

“We will ask Sumo to do certain specified repairs,” based on the engineer’s report, Henson said.

Balazs and his wife, Donna, have lived in Sumo for two years and have dealt with many issues during that time.

“We’ve had a settling problem. We’re getting cracks on the outside stucco. There are problems with the sprinkler system — we’ve rebuilt the control valve box six times and it still keeps filling up with mud,” Balazs said. “They sealed the basement yet we still get water down there.”

Problems with carpeting, padding and even insulation have plagued his home, Balazs said.

In addition to the problems with private homes, residents said the entire neighborhood is suffering the consequences of other communitywide issues.

“They don’t have roads built,” Balazs said. “Porches are falling down. Street lights were temporary — they should have been permanent, and they were not.”

Drainage System Failure

Despite their other woes, both Balazs and Jordan said the failure of the drainage system has been the worst issue they have faced. Flooding has caused other problems, including the sinking of utility boxes in the area.

“I observed the complete failure of the retention basin at Hole 3,” Jordan said.

He and his wife, Michelle, live to the north of that hole and near another retention pond that is stagnant because it will not drain.

“There is such a stench,” Jordan said. “It is not being maintained and that’s the obligation the contractor has.”

Henson said the city did provide residents with briquettes to place in the stagnant water to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Many residents have seen first hand the consequences of that flooding, causing damage to basements and landscaping.

During the permit process, the city had approved a drainage system to include “grassy swales,” large ditches that follow the contour of the land parallel to the streets and landscaped with grass, to catch drain-age water and send it into retention ponds. Residents claim those swales have never materialized, causing flooding during extensive rainstorms.

Florence City Manager Tom Piltingsrud said the council had waived curb and gutter in the development years ago, allowing Sumo to proceed with the grassy swales.

“For whatever reason, no grass ever took so we just had dirt swales, which in major storm events, quickly became mud swales. That overwhelmed the drains and then flooded,” Piltingsrud said.

City Issues Moratorium

“I am withholding building permits until the city engineer (The Engineering Company of Fort Collins) can come down here and see first hand what’s going on,” Piltingsrud said. “A moratorium exists until such time as TEC can advise the city on where we need to go from here.”

Piltingsrud sent a letter to Sumo on Aug. 11 advising the company of the moratorium.

“It is apparent that erosion control methods and the subdivision drainage system don’t function as expected,” the letter said in part. “The city requires resolution to the drainage and erosion control problems affecting these subdivisions.”

In reply, Rusty Spillers of Sumo Development said the company’s position differs.

“Your request to redesign is not warranted,” Spillers’ letter said in part. “Sumo has installed the drainage according to plan and will continue to do so.”

The Sumo letter did agree to maintain and/or create temporary measures to reduce the possibility of mud interfering with the functioning of the drainage system.

“In accordance with our commitment, Sumo will work with the City of Florence to maintain the drainage/erosion facilities,” the letter ended.