Times are sizzling at Riverview Tower in Cleveland.
“This is a pretty hot day,” said resident Eugene Ward. “Days like this, I go out and I’ll be looking at my residents.”
Ward, who serves as president of the resident advisory council, lives at the building. It’s run by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority.
The heat factor has been a growing concern for residents, which are mostly seniors.
“I worry about them,” Ward said. “They’re diabetics. They have heart conditions and other ailments.”
Until recently, air conditioner units at the high-rise building were either broken or run down.
The latest repairs include new window installation and air unit upgrades. The changes have kept things cool for the 500 apartments.
“They’re working real good,” said Emily Hamilton, a resident who’s lived at the building for five years. “Sometimes in the cafeteria down here, you want to put a coat on.”
Ward said he’s seen a change in the way residents interact.
“Before, they wasn’t coming down because the building was kinda warm,” he said. “Now, it’s been more activity in there, where they can sit down and watch TV and play pool.”