Fire And Rain At Timeshare, Cause For Refund?

Callicoon - First, there was fire. Yesterday, the Villa Roma Timeshare Resort was hit by flooding.

A flash flood hit the timeshare resort at about 1 p.m. Debris from upstream washed uprooted trees and branches down Jones Creek, which runs through the resort property. The debris hit a hallway bridge that connects a block of timeshares to the building that houses the indoor pool, game rooms and clubhouse.

The force of the debris sent water blasting through one wall and out the other side, back into the creek.

The hallway bridge was closed for renovations from the April 12 fire that destroyed the timeshare resort's main building.

Guests watching from the adjoining glass-walled hallway were transfixed by the high, dark water rushing past.

"It was so scary. It was like a little tsunami," guest Tracey Lutz said. "It made a big pop, and then the water was rushing through."

At that point, everyone ran for the game room - uphill.

As the flood started, Susie Miller of Montgomery said, her sons, 11-year-old Anthony and 10-year-old Joseph, were in the hallway with their 7-year-old cousin, Luis Bruce, watching the rushing water. They realized the water looked bad, and the older boys told Luis to run. Then the hallway wall gave.

It was scary, Luis said. "And there was a kid on the (shuttle) bus, crying."

The Ernesto building, which houses one wing of timeshares and abuts the creek, was evacuated. A propane line broke, and workers were fixing that by mid-afternoon.

The floodwater washed across the property, leaving mud piled in the bumper-boat pond, on the bocce courts and in the outdoor pool, turning it deep brown. But the rec building was OK. Kids played in the game room and swam in the indoor pool as men on excavators cleared branches from the creek.

Operations Manager Luis Alvarez said there were more than 700 guests in the timeshares and a smattering of hotel guests yesterday. Other timeshare buildings also had some flooding. The Villa Roma should be back up to speed for the busy July 4 weekend, Alvarez said.

Timeshare owners, such as Miller, were angry after clerks told them they couldn't get a refund for lost amenities. Miller pays $600 per year in maintenance fees for a double unit. Margaret Goolic of New Jersey, who has been coming to a Villa Roma time share for 10 years with her husband, wants a refund for her timeshare.

"For the rest of the week, what are we supposed to do? Sit in our rooms and watch TV with the kids?" Goolic said. "We could do that at home."