EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — As officials urge people to find cool spaces during this heat wave, residents at one East Cleveland apartment building say they do not have many options because they have been without air conditioning.
On days like these, staying indoors is usually recommended, but residents of Lake Park Tower say that is not the case for them.
"Now it's running like over 85 degrees because we have fans in the house, but literally it feels way hotter than that,” said Makayla Smith.
Residents say the building’s air conditioning has been out for most of the summer. Smith, who has lived there for four months, said she has only had working air conditioning for about a day and a half.
Conditions became so severe that Smith rushed downstairs to speak with us after her mother began experiencing symptoms she believed were related to the heat.
"She's saying she's feeling really shaky. She feels like she's going to pass out, so we just hurried up and came downstairs. I'm going to drive her to University Hospitals right now,” said Smith.
When asked whether she believed the heat was responsible, Smith did not hesitate.
"Absolutely, [I] know I’m feeling it. I take medication, and I’m feeling very exhausted as well,” Smith continued. “We just need, we need an answer. We need an answer quick.”
Ronald Faenza, who has lived in the building for a year and a half, said they complain to management at least once a week and are repeatedly told the problem is being addressed.
"I haven't seen anybody working on anything,” said Faenza.
To cope, he spends as much time away from the building as possible.
"I let myself down on a regular basis. I went out to Walmart today, not because I needed it desperately but because it’s cool, ”Faenza continued. “I have a bus pass for the month, so traveling is not a problem, so I go wherever the air conditioner is at least couple hours a day.”
Marcus Pryor said he took matters into his own hands by purchasing a window unit because he was tired of waiting for management to fix the system, but he worries about his neighbors.
"There's definitely quite a bit of old, older people here. Honestly, I feel like if I was old of age ... I probably would pass out in the hallway because of it being just so stagnant in the air quality,” said Pryor.
We reached out to Lake Park Tower management, who responded this afternoon, acknowledging the lack of functioning air conditioning and saying crews have been working to repair it.
"Our maintenance team and HVAC contractors have been actively working to diagnose the issue. The specialized replacement parts and equipment required to complete the repairs had to be ordered to ensure the system could be restored safely and properly.
The necessary parts have now arrived, and we are working closely with our HVAC contractor to complete the installation as quickly as possible. We are making every effort to restore full air conditioning service as soon as possible.
The safety, comfort, and well-being of our residents remain our highest priority. We will continue to provide updates to our residents as repair work progresses.
We sincerely appreciate our residents' patience, understanding, and cooperation throughout this process.”
But residents say they are tired of updates and promises.
"Do their job, get the air conditioning fixed, get the elevators fixed,” said Faenza.
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
