July 14, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster
Remember then old saying, “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink”? Turns out that at an HOA in Arizona, water has become a contentious issue. But in a highly unusual way.
It turns out a local resident of the Canyon Trails Homeowners’ Association has been handing out free bottles of water to anyone who’s parched. From The Independent:
“It’s for the kids, the delivery drivers, the couple holding hands walking down the street,” David Martin, who lives in Goodyear, Arizona, near Phoenix, told KPHO. “It’s for the little kid who has to walk his dog in the heat.”
While this all sounds innocent enough, there appears to be a HOA provision that is being violated.
An attorney for the HOA told the outlet in a statement last year, “The Association does not object to a resident providing water bottles within the community; however, the community’s rules do not allow a resident to advertise water bottle distribution from a portable ice chest, located next to their garage that is visible from neighboring property.”
The media of course implicates FirstService Residential, the HOA property manager, but they are only doing their job of helping the board enforce the rule. Meanwhile, the fines to Mr. Martin were racking up.
The issue got so heated that the resident filed a petition to get rid of three offending board members. The meeting generated enough votes, but not without more controversy.
Out of 210 ballots, 190 people voted to remove the board members. Homeowners association member Deryl Riley said there were enough votes for a quorum, meaning the board members would be removed, 12News reports. But the three board members who were removed say the vote wasn’t legal, according to 12News. The members argue Martin didn’t garner enough signatures on his petition. They also claim the vote was invalid because a 24-hour notice wasn’t given to homeowners.
The latest on this is that most residents are backing the water man. Being July in Arizona, the resident certainly has Mother Nature on his side too.
