Water service at Southwind Mobile Home Estates appears to have been restored, according to attorney Kathryn Liss of Prairie State Legal Services, who is representing tenants in an ongoing legal case against the city of Kewanee.
Liss first became involved in the case after original plaintiff Anna Holmberg filed suit to prevent the city from shutting off water to her mobile home. In early June, the city announced plans to terminate water service due to nonpayment by the bank that holds the mortgage on the parks.
Holmberg successfully obtained a restraining order, allowing her water to remain on. As additional tenants joined the suit, a motion was filed seeking a preliminary injunction to restore service to the other plaintiffs. Judge Colby Hathaway ultimately granted the injunction to two plaintiffs, while denying relief to three others.
Tenant Thomas Christian also joined the suit and filed a separate motion for a restraining order, which was initially denied. The appellate court overturned that decision, calling it “arbitrary and unreasonable” and stating, “the court abused its discretion in denying Christian’s motion for a temporary restraining order.”
On June 26, the Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit granted Christian’s temporary restraining order and instructed the city to restore his water. A subsequent ruling on July 2 provided all six plaintiffs with a preliminary injunction and directed the city to restore service to one remaining plaintiff who had been without water.
While several tenants—including plaintiff Jack Poole—moved out after the water shutoff, others continue to reside in the park. The resolution of the broader issue remains uncertain.
Kewanee City Manager Gary Bradley declined to comment directly on the lawsuit, stating that the city “continue[s] to work with First Secured Community Bank in our efforts to resolve the situation with the mobile home parks but have nothing to add with respect to the ongoing litigation. The City will issue a formal statement regarding the litigation once the judicial process has concluded.”
