The Marion County Housing Authority (MCHA) has apologized for the months it took to correct low water pressure at Oak Park Village in Stayton.
Tenants of the low-income senior apartments filed at least five complaints between September and December before the problem – a faulty valve – was repaired in January.
Jason Icenbice, executive director of MCHA, told Our Town his agency’s slow response was “unacceptable” and should not be the norm.
“Our property management team must do a better job of dispatching qualified vendor professionals (plumbers, electricians, etc.) to solve these types of issues when they occur in the future,” said Icenbice.
Oak Park Village resident Scott Wilson said he was grateful residents could now reliably take showers and wash dishes again.
What was reported?
According to MCHA, the agency first received a report of failing water pressure Sept. 15, 2025. MCHA maintenance staff responded Sept. 18 and found normal water pressure when testing the lines.
Icenbice said this response time was normal and his staff typically responds to maintenance requests within 48 to 72 hours. He said if it was an emergency such as no water pressure at all his staff would respond within 24 hours.
Because the problem appeared intermittent, Icenbice said this became a challenge for maintenance. He said there were no grounds to investigate further when only one resident had called and staff did not observe a problem.
A second complaint was received from another tenant Sept. 17, 2025, who said she experienced problems the same day as the first complaint, with pressure going up and down. There was no maintenance staff response.
MCHA received additional complaints Sept. 30 and Oct. 9 with no responses from maintenance staff. Icenbice said this is where MCHA could have acted swifter and called in a licensed vendor to investigate.
“That issue kind of laid in limbo for a little longer than we preferred,” he said.
Icenbice added that this was due in part to a maintenance technician being out on medical leave, which interrupted responses. He also said there was some confusion because similar reports had been filed with the City of Stayton, which is not responsible for maintaining the facility.
City of Stayton response
According to the City of Stayton, the public works department was first contacted about water pressure at Oak Park Village Oct. 1, 2025. Interim Public Works Director Barry Buchanan said the resident was advised the city has no oversight of the facility and advised they should contact a licensed plumber for repairs.
The city received additional complaints Oct. 9 and Nov. 12. After the third one, Buchanan and the city’s Operations Supervisor Kendall Smith visited the facility.
Water pressure on a fire hydrant outside Oak Park Village tested normal at 98 psi. Pressure on the customer side of was intermittent, from 71 psi while not in use to 27 psi with a faucet turned on.
The city concluded the problem was likely a faulty pressure reducing valve. The resident was advised to contact MCHA for repairs.
An overdue solution
MCHA received a fifth complaint Dec. 12 and reached out to Reliant K Plumbing of South Salem. The vendor arrived three days later, identified the failing valve and made arrangements to conduct repairs.
The failing valve was replaced Jan. 9 and Icenbice said there have been no further reports of problems at the site.
Wilson said some residents are concerned they were not taken seriously because they are senior citizens, or because they live in subsidized housing. He said he also wouldn’t be surprised if the agency wasn’t overwhelmed with work requests, or if budgets are tight, and these may have been an issue.
Icenbice said there is “no excuse” for the slow response and he wants residents to know MCHA takes their concerns seriously. “I can’t tell our tenants enough they are welcome to reach out to me,” he said. “We do not want them to feel like their issues or concerns are going unheard or unaddressed. We get busy, we’re pulled in a lot of directions, but that’s really no excuse.”
Icenbice added he is available directly to hear resident concerns if they want to reach out. He can be contacted at
503-584-4775 or JIcenbice@mchaor.org.
