Latest news with #AutumnRidge
CBS News
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Air conditioning restored to all 4 buildings in Park Forest, Illinois apartment complex
After going through one summer heat wave without air conditioning, all four buildings at the Autumn Ridge apartment complex in the south Chicago suburb of Park Forest now have working AC. Any residents still having issues are advised to contact maintenance. Back in June, residents of the buildings complained that the AC had not been on all year. When a heat wave hit the area late that month, the air conditioning was still out, and one resident's thermostat read 92 degrees inside an apartment. The AC was restored to one of the four buildings during that heat wave on June 24. With extreme heat having settled in the area again Wednesday, the community center at the Autumn Ridge and the Park Forest Village Hall are open as cooling centers during business hours. The Park Forest Police Department is open as a cooling center 24 hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Air conditioning restored to 1 of 4 buildings in Park Forest, Illinois, complex after weeks
Some residents of the south Chicago suburb of Park Forest finally had some relief Tuesday after having had no air conditioning for weeks. Four buildings in the Autumn Ridge apartment complex have been without AC, but just Tuesday afternoon, it was fixed in one of the buildings. Park Forest Mayor Joseph Woods said as of Tuesday afternoon, the village still had not heard from the property owners at the Autumn Ridge Apartments complex. But during CBS News Chicago's interview with the mayor, he was made aware that onsite property management was fixing the air conditioning at one of the buildings. It is one of four buildings that have been without AC all this time. The other three still don't have it. "I have to be a little candid," said Mayor Woods. "We've heard some things, we've been given promises before — and some of those necessarily didn't come through." Mayor Woods said he is optimistically cautious all four buildings at Autumn Ridge will have working AC by the end of the week. But he said the property management have made promises in the past that they didn't keep. Mayor Woods said last summer, the property management left the heat on. "One of the things they were saying: 'Well look, this is only going to be a heatwave for two or three days. Now if we turn off the heat and it gets cold next week, we can't turn it back on,'" Woods said. "That was one of the answers we had gotten, and that the residents had gotten." On Thursday of last week, CBS Chicago first reported that residents of Autum Ridge couldn't catch a breeze. This week amid the heat wave, they were still dealing with the sweltering heat inside their apartment units. Carmel Davis is among those who finally has air conditioning flowing through her home on Tuesday. While her building was the first to get fixed, she said it shouldn't have gotten to this point. "I'm disgusted," Davis said. "I feel like this a bandage coverup for some things that we're experiencing here all together." But Roshaunda Curtis lives in one of the buildings where the AC still doesn't work. "It's like going into a sauna that hasn't fully baked, but it's well on its way," said Curtis. CBS News Chicago visited Curtis and her family Monday, when her thermostat said 86 degrees. On Tuesday, it was up to 87. One fan was devoted to the Curtis family's 5-month-old baby, another to their dog. "They've known about this issue well before the summer hit. They knew about it, and they waited until the news came. They waited until heat was sweltering to then finally start pushing to do things," Curtis said, "and again, I have to question, are you doing things because the village is fining you every day?" Residents said the Crete Monee School District donated at least 13 AC units, which residents say they installed themselves. "I'm kind of nervous on what would have happened if the news hadn't have got on this, because a lot of the information that we're hearing, we're starting to hear it, you know, through the news," Curtis said. Mayor Woods said getting residents relief is the main priority for the village, but the village plans to hold the property managers accountable. "On the code enforcement side, it would be easy enough to say we're going to do this, we're going after the property management company," Woods said. "But to do that without knowing how that necessarily affects the residents would be irresponsible, and that's something we don't want to do." Mayor Woods said the residents of the buildings still without AC are still in need of water bottles and more AC units. Woods also reminded residents there are two cooling centers open during regular business hours, but the Park Forest police station is open 24 hours a day in a cooling facility.
CBS News
23-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Still no air conditioning at Park Forest, Illinois, apartment complex amid dangerous heat
A heat wave has settled on Chicago over the past few days, and more than 200 residents of an apartment complex in the south Chicago suburb of Park Forest are stuck spending it without air conditioning. CBS News Chicago first reported last week on the plight of the residents of the Autumn Ridge apartment complex. On Monday, Park Forest village leaders spoke out for the first time, and threatened to levy fines against the complex owners. But while residents appreciate the support, they want to see action because they're suffering. Inside Porsche McCoy's apartment, she was running the ceiling fan and two floor fans Monday. Blinds were closed and the windows opened. Bu the temperature inside was still suffocating — with the thermostat reading 92 degrees. "It's terrible. It makes me feel like — I just want to move now. I really do," said McCoy. "My brain can't function." McCoy is among the more than 200 residents who have been suffering from oppressive heat off and on all summer. But the last few days have been the worst. "It's like, demoralizing," said Derin Curtis. "It's just hot her, and it's like the management doesn't have any humanity." inside the Curtis home in the Autumn Ridge complex, it was 86 degrees on Monday. One fan was devoted to the family's 5-month-old baby, another to their dog. They appreciate the fans, but they said the fans are insufficient. "It's not enough. It's kind of like blowing around hot air, and people are getting restless. They're getting angry," Curtis said. "People are having sleepless nights, and then you see them the next day, and they just like walk past each other because you don't really want to waste your breath talking." The residents have been complaining to management for months. They were initially promised the AC would be repaired by June 1, but that didn't happen. "Complain and complain and complain," said McCoy. "Building management would tell us, 'Uh, we're trying to wait on a piece.'" CBS News Chicago wanted to speak to management, but there was no answer. Late Monday afternoon, Park Forest village managers issued a news release reading: "The Village of Park Forest is demanding that the management staff at Autumn Ridge work quickly to restore air conditioning for its residents." The village continued, "Additionally, the village will seek to impose daily fines on the owner of the property for failing to maintain essential services to its residents. A village spokesperson said a company called Red Oaks Management LLC owns the property. "It's in a rock and a hard place," said Park Forest Village Trustee Randall White. While White wants the owners to take action, he is concerned that too much pressure will backfire. "My fear is that if that we put the pressure on them, that they just do basically more of what they're doing, but even worse — nothing; throw their hands up and say: 'Hey, it's on you guys. It's nothing that we can do,'" White said, "and if we, you know, condemn the building or the facility, where will the residents move to?" Park Forest village managers want to remind residents that there are two cooling centers open during regular business hours, but that the police station is open 24 hours as a cooling facility.
CBS News
20-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
With dangerous heat coming, Park Forest, Illinois apartment complex residents have no AC
An Extreme Heat Watch has been issued for the Chicago area starting Saturday morning — and with the heat making time outside potentially dangerous, everyone over the next few days will be looking for ways to stay cool — from the city to the suburbs. But in south suburban Park Forest, residents living at the Autumn Ridge apartment complex can't catch a breeze. "$1,645 for no AC," said resident Shaquille Jones. The thermostats inside the apartments read 88 degrees on Thursday, with the air conditioner for several buildings being broken. "It's going to be 92, 95 degrees for the whole week, and they have no idea," said resident Jovan Barker. "They say they're always waiting on a piece." Residents have hauled in fans because. They say the AC hasn't been on all year. "In May, I made a phone call to the office and asked, what day should we be expecting the air on? They said, 'Well, you know, we're going to turn it on by at least by [June] 1st.' You know, on the 1st, I said, OK, I guess we will stick it out — because we had some days in May that it was hot," said Carmel Davis. "Well, today is what, the 19th?" The management texted residents this weekend saying, "More parts for the AC have been ordered and we do not have a confirmed repair date yet. We apologize for the inconveniences and appreciate your patience." "It's hotter in there than it is outside," said Barker. Yet patience is running out, for everyone from infants to seniors living in the complex. "You can lose your life from being in extreme conditions such as heat," said Park Forest Village Trustee Randall White. "I think that should be a necessity." White said the fact that the complex has not had AC all season needs to be addressed immediately. "Equipment breaks and equipment fails," White said. "But when you're taking in from one resident $1,600 a month, you should have funds if that takes place where you can safely, quickly, and effectively do some things to better the condition that's going on." As to the greater issue of the heat, the City of Chicago will open various cooling stations from Saturday through next week. City leaders are set to talk about plans to keep everyone safe during the heat wave on Friday morning.
