No air conditioning in Cheektowaga apartment complex for months
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CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) - The heat is being turned up on residents in a Cheektowaga apartment complex. Many of them have not had air conditioning for months -- and they're Calling 4 Action.
Having no air conditioning has made living conditions very hard for residents at Edgebrook Estates in Cheektowaga, especially last week during that intense heat with real feel temperatures above 100 degrees in many areas.
Tenants and seniors alike have been suffering. They tell us temperatures inside their apartments have reached over 90 degrees. One resident who didn't want to give us her name says it's been unbearable.
"When the heat first started it was very, very hot and very uncomfortable trying to sleep," she said. "You have to make sure you drink water. It was hard because we didn't have the air."
In a statement, National Property Management says the air conditioning system was damaged during a winter storm with more than 100 units affected. The company says 80 units have been fixed and that they've brought in 35 portable units.
The company says it's taken some time to get to this point because of a bidding process and labor shortages, but residents here very much believe that the owner of the property should have moved faster in fixing the air conditioning because of how long they've known about the problem.
There have been health and housing concerns at neighboring Williamstowne Senior Apartments.
See the full statement from the owner of the property below.
"We are aware you have received communication from residents at Edgebrook Estate Apartments regarding the air conditioning.
The property, which we have responsibly owned and operated for decades, experienced tremendous damage from the winter storm. There were more than one hundred units damaged from the occurrence. We continue with this service and replacement work and have more than eighty units completed.
We began working through the loss with our insurance carrier immediately after the storm and completed the bid process in March. We engaged a contractor in April and transferred employees from other areas to help. Unfortunately, the contractor has experienced labor shortages. They currently have five techs at the property. In response we have worked out agreements with two other separate AC outfits. One is expected to start this week and the other next week.
Unfortunately, the unusually high temperatures last week impacted the circumstances. We have purchased thirty-five portable units and delivered them to residents and have a cooling area in our model unit. We never advised residents to buy their own AC units. We are committed to seeing this work through so that all the residents have proper working air conditioning."
Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.