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Wait, mop brow, repeat

Bethany Towers residents await a lift of an air-conditioning unit, and their spirits.

By CRISTINA SILVA
Published March 11, 2007

SOUTH PASADENA - When the mercury rises, the neurological disability that keeps Donn Gregory, 52, in a wheelchair most of the time and sometimes slurs his speech worsens.

Often the condition is so bad it gets to the point that he feels as if his brain is fogged, like he can barely move or talk, he said.

For the past few weeks, Gregory's brain has felt foggy more times than he'd like.

That's because the air-conditioning unit at Bethany Towers, the South Pasadena condominium that Gregory and hundreds of disabled people and senior citizens call home, has been sitting in the building's parking lot.

It has been there since Feb. 7, guarded by several orange traffic cones.

The 15-foot-tall machine that is supposed to circulate cool air through the 210 units has not been installed because Bethany Towers' staff has not been able to find the specialized crane needed to lift the massive air-conditioning unit onto the roof of the 17-story building.

"There are only a few in the state of Florida, so we were just waiting on the list for the next crane available," said Patti Scuderi, operations manager at Bethany.

The first crane that arrived at the condominium could not sustain the weight of the machine, said Scuderi, who does not know how much the air-conditioning unit weighs.

The building's old air-conditioning unit, which had been functioning erratically for the past year, broke down in early February.

Residents said they didn't mind at first, when winter weather still chilled their bones, but with spring approaching, the heat is becoming more unbearable each day.

"Right now I have two windows open and two fans running and it is miserable in here," Gregory said Thursday morning. "It can be 60 degrees outside and 80 in my apartment."

Construction workers are expected to install the air-conditioning unit Wednesday, Scuderi said.

Residents who are sick of waiting have no other choice.

Federal housing officials said little can be done to force Bethany Towers' management to install the unit.

Bethany Towers is a private facility that was built with low-interest loans from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Many residents receive federal housing assistance that financially allows them to live there.

HUD officials are aware of Bethany Towers' air-conditioning problems and have been in touch with the building's management.

Residents can't refuse to pay rent until the situation is fixed, and the condominium will not be fined, said William Kalbas, a HUD spokesman.

If there is a bright side, it is this: Wednesday is only three days away.

Cristina Silva can be reached at (727) 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 20:24:14]