A/C at Park Forest apartments partially restored amid heat wave, officials say

A/C at Chicago area apartments partially restored amid heat wave

Officials in south suburban Park Forest said management of apartment buildings that have been without air conditioning for several days amid an ongoing heat wave have been working to fix the problem.

PARK FOREST, Ill. - Officials in south suburban Park Forest said management of apartment buildings that have been without air conditioning for several days amid an ongoing heat wave have been working to fix the problem.

Park Forest Mayor Joseph A. Woods said air conditioning in one of the complex's four buildings has been restored and another building's system was being worked on.

What we know:

He said the management company aims to restore A/C at all four buildings by the end of the week or in the coming days. 

There are about 40 to 50 units in each building, the mayor said.

Woods added that officials still have "no real clarity on the cause of the problem."

The backstory:

With many at a breaking point, officials in Park Forest have been taking action to provide relief, with cooling centers being made available.

Families and elderly residents who live in the complex said they haven’t gotten straight answers from the management company about the lack of A/C. 

A Fox 32 crew tried to knock on the door of the townhome where residents said a member of management lived, but there was no answer. Several attempts to reach the Autumn Ridge Apartments management by phone, text, and email were unsuccessful.

Woods said the village has had problems with the property managers in the past. The village has cited the owner for the malfunctioning A/C system.

The mayor said the village is in the "middle of pending litigation," but he did not specify what the litigation entailed.

"Of course, we want to adhere to due process, but right now we do know that what is duly needed is immediate relief for our residents," Woods said.

He added there hasn't been enough communication from the property owners to help come to a resolution of the problem.

Woods said residents told him of other problems at the property including water leaks and mold in the buildings.

"There's a list of things," he said. "Perhaps even too many to go through right now, but our housing department is truly on it and we're continuing to make them accountable for the repairs that they need to make."