Elk Ridge residents demand answers

Hasty fuel switch, elusive management, and gas lines discovered under homes spark fear and confusion in community

Story by Stephanie Nakhleh
Photos by Minesh Bacrania

Cristina Pendergraft and her Elk Ridge Mobile Home Park neighbors face an unexpected crisis. Their community, a privately owned mobile home park of approximately 175 sites surrounded by federal land, is facing a sudden energy conversion — switching from natural gas to propane. Even more alarming, 25 homes were found to be sitting on top of natural gas lines, raising serious safety concerns. 

Cristina Pendergraft, at her home in Elk Ridge

In late August, Yes! Communities, the Colorado-based company that owns and manages Elk Ridge, emailed residents to notify them of the impending change. The email (see end of the story for the full text), signed by office administrator Vanessa Bencomo, stated, “Our community is working in partnership with Los Alamos County to begin a very near future project to convert all homes from natural gas to propane. This conversion is necessary because the current natural gas distribution system has reached the e…