‘Feels like a thousand degrees;’ Residents say apartment complex is without A/C

DAYTON — On a hot and humid 90-degree day, it isn’t often you meet someone staying outside to cool off.

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“It’s so muggy, I’d rather be out here sweating than in there. It’s hotter in there than outside,” Brandon McNichols said.

Several people who live at the Wentworth Hi-Rise say the air conditioning broke last week.

“It feel like a thousand degrees in that building,” Laci Northern said.

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Bad timing with this week’s heat.

“The air is not working, and they’re not fixing it,” McNichols said.

“They said call down to Wayne Avenue,” Northern said.

Wayne Avenue is where the property owner, Greater Dayton Premier Management, has its main office.

Jennifer Heapy, CEO of Greater Dayton Premier Management, sent News Center 7 the following statement:

We are aware of the air conditioning challenges at the Wentworth Hi-Rise and want to assure our residents we are taking this situation very seriously.
While the building’s central air conditioning system is still operational, it is unfortunately not able to perform at full capacity due to the extreme outdoor temperatures.
As soon as we became aware of the issue, we took immediate action. A qualified contractor has been on-site to determine a way to restore the system to its full functionality. In addition, we are working with a separate contractor to provide a mobile, building-wide air conditioning unit to provide additional relief. We have also engaged an engineering firm to assess the entire system and recommend a long-term solution to ensure this does not happen again.
Understanding the urgent needs of our most vulnerable residents, we are working to distribute individual mobile air conditioning units to those who are elderly or disabled and will also have a cooling station in the community room by the end of the day.
We recognize how difficult this situation is difficult for our residents as we work through both immediate and sustainable solutions. The health and well-being of our residents remains our top priority and we are committed to resolving this as quickly and effectively as possible.

People expressed their concerns for older residents.

“I don’t wanna see all these paramedics coming in and taking transport and these elderly to hospitals because of heat exhaustion,” Northern said.

They want a fix to hurry up so they can get inside to cool down.

“They just need to do something to make it better,” Northern said.

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