Local senior apartment complex without air conditioning; tenants brace for extreme heat wave

PITTSBURGH — One group especially at risk when temperatures rise is seniors and with temperatures expected in the 90s next week, one woman tells Channel 11 she’s concerned about her mother.

She says the Poplar Lane Court apartment building in Uniontown has been without air conditioning since May.

“I’m really concerned about everyone there,” she said. “This is the first time anything like this has happened.”

She didn’t want to give her name for fear of backlash against her mother, but said the 75-year-old has lived there for about three years with no issues.

The temperature in her mom’s apartment is already climbing. It’s up to 81 degrees.

“Really concerned because she has health issues,” she said.

Channel 11 reached out to the management company. We received a statement from parent company Presbyterian SeniorCare Network.

“Poplar Lane Court Apartments in Uniontown has plans to help residents of the apartment building during the upcoming heat wave, its parent organization Presbyterian SeniorCare Network said.

In recent weeks, the building’s air conditioning chiller started operating at 50 percent capacity, resulting in uneven cooling throughout the building. Due to the chiller’s age, the unit is being replaced, and installation is scheduled for the end of next week.

In the meantime, apartment management has offered to provide residents with extra fans, with two of the 50 residents taking them up on the offer so far. More fans are available. Apartment management is communicating with residents regularly to keep in touch with them and help as needed.

With temperatures expected to rise this weekend, apartment management is also prepared to transport any resident in need to local cooling centers, or to two other apartment communities managed by the same company that are both within two miles of Poplar Lane Court Apartments."

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