Parkchester community frustrated, 1,536 apartments battle intense cold as heating, hot water outages persist

Frustration is boiling over in the Parkchester community as more than 24 buildings housing 1,536 apartments have been without heat and hot water for over 24 hours.

The Parkchester Watch Group, led by Peter Hamilton, has issued a stern follow-up to an unanswered inquiry sent to management on September 22, 2024, demanding urgent action and accountability.

In an excerpt from the original email, Hamilton raised critical questions about the reliability of the heating plant, particularly as the official heating season is set to begin on October 1:

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“We are reaching out this time to inquire about the recent hot water outages, including today’s outage. We would like to know why the plant has had so many outages recently? In addition, heating season will begin October 1; so our question is what preventive measures were completed during the non-heating season to make this coming heating season more reliable? Our expectation is that there will be no outages during this upcoming heating season.”

Hamilton also called for a long-term plan to modernize the aging heating and hot water systems, citing their growing unreliability and escalating maintenance costs:

“We expect our condominium board to live up to the fiduciary responsibility to unit owners and live up to the warranty of habitability for renters to provide constant hot water and adequate heat. This compliance is mandatory to adhere to heating laws for renters and owners.”

The community has reported several unannounced outages, including a recent incident on Sunday affecting buildings at 1 Metropolitan Oval and 1590 Unionport Road.

Typically, outages in this area impact multiple buildings, sparking concerns about why this cluster experiences recurring issues. The following buildings are confirmed to be affected by the latest outage, which has disrupted both heat and hot water:

Metropolitan Oval: 1, 63

Metropolitan Avenue: 1491, 1507

Unionport Road: 1576, 1589, 1590, 1595, 1596

East Tremont Avenue: 1938, 1940, 1946, 1950, 1960

Wood Road: 1409, 1439

Archer Road: 1505, 1530, 1545

West Avenue: 1469

McGraw Avenue: 1919, 1949, 1959, 1969

Escalation of Concerns

In their latest correspondence, Hamilton expressed outrage over the lack of communication and preventive measures:

“Since you never updated us to what preventive measures were done to ensure reliability, we will now assume no reply means you are not doing your job and the board has abandoned their duties.”

The group has advised residents to file 311 complaints and is preparing to escalate the issue to housing court. They have also called on the media to spotlight the ongoing crisis, with residents ready to share their experiences publicly.

Hamilton concluded with a call for immediate action, urging management, the board, and sponsors to fulfill their responsibilities:

“Management, board, and sponsor—your response is required.”

As temperatures drop and heating season approaches, the Parkchester community is demanding solutions to ensure that basic living conditions are met. For many residents, this is not just a matter of comfort but a fundamental right to livable housing.