INDIANAPOLIS — Space heaters. That's what tenants at Irvington Lofts Apartments are using to keep warm, and two people said they've had enough.
Suzanne Wilson is still recovering after falling in her Irvington Loft apartment in October after they were without power for days. Now the building is without heat.
"That whole system has been a problem since day one," Wilson said.
David Risser said he's noticed people working on the system, but said he's seen no progress.
"If you walk through the hallways, there's holes that have been there for months, massive holes where they're ripping stuff out," Risser said.
As temperatures drop, tenants worry about how they're going to stay warm.
"It's manageable now. What if it gets to a night like 40? When it gets to zero at night? Then you're running a space heater at night, which is a fire hazard," Risser said.
13News reached out to the complex's management company, Mark III Management. The president of the company, Chuck Pechette, told us it's a complicated system and that has caused delays. Each unit controls one floor.
Pechette said there have been issues with the heating and cooling system since late winter or early spring and that repairs were made, but they didn’t fix the entire problem. He said the owner hired a contractor to replace those three rooftop systems for $250,000.
He said they will also be replacing the systems in the second building after the first building is done, spending a total of $500,000 to fix the system in both buildings.
Pechette said these repairs were planned. He said residents were notified a week or two before the work began around Oct. 25. They gave residents free portable heaters until the repairs were completed.
He said the project is supposed to be completed by Nov. 30. Tenants are still skeptical.
"I'm worried, mainly for her, that it's going to get down to sub-zero temperatures in December. She's not going to have real heat. It's really a dangerous situation," Risser said.
13News contacted the Marion County Public Health Department. They told us that it was the first time they had heard about the problem at Irvington Lofts. They sent someone to do an inspection. Now, the health department said the complex has 48 hours to get the heat back on. If the heat has not been restored by Monday, they say they will file a case in court.
"After an inspection today on a no heat complaint, MCPHD issued an Emergency Notice of Violation for the address in Irvington Lofts that does not have heat," a statement from the agency read. "A recheck date of Monday, November 20, 2023, is scheduled. An emergency violation requires the issue to be fixed and brought into code compliance, confirmed by an MCPHD inspection, within 48 hours. We will file the case for court on Monday, Nov. 21 if the heat has not been restored. Management has told residents it will be fixed by November 30, but plans to have it fixed before then. Management has provided temporary space heaters to residents. Space heaters are not permissible sources of long-term or permanent heat, which is why the health department is proceeding with the emergency order."
Both Wilson and Risser said they hope the apartment management keeps their word.
"I'm hoping they can figure this out fairly soon," Wilson said.
"Man, just get it fixed before the winter," Risser said.