POUGHKEEPSIE – As the owners of the Rip Van Winkle apartments faced a Friday deadline to fix the heat problems in the 178-unit complex in the City of Poughkeepsie or face fines from Dutchess County, the nagging heat problems have been resolved.
In a letter to Jenee McClain-Bankhead, president of PK Management, which owns the complex, County Executive Marcus Molinaro thanked the company for correcting the issue.
“Residents who received space heaters from management are rightfully expressing concern over higher electric costs from the use of those heaters,” Molinaro wrote. Saying no resident should be strapped with the higher electric bills from the use of the space heaters, the county executive asked management to consider “some form of financial relief, whether reduced rent or other monetary relief.”
Many residents faced on and off heat over the last two months, ever since a basement fire at the complex at the end of October.
Because of those problems, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney sent a letter to Lynne Patton, the New York regional director of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development asking the agency to conduct a formal inspection of the property.
“This has really gone on long enough. People should not have to endure the winter without heat – it’s really that simple,” Maloney said. “It’s time for HUD to get in the game and go on the ground to figure out our next steps.”
The “Rip” receives federal funding through HUD to assist low-income families afford housing in the facility.
