Harrisburg demands immediate action at apartment building that’s been without hot water for months

By WGAL Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Harrisburg’s mayor and police commissioner are demanding immediate action at an apartment building they say has been without hot water for nearly four months.

The outage continues to impact dozens of units at Harmony Tower in the 300 block of North Second Street. Many residents are older or medically compromised.

“This is outrageous. The City of Harrisburg will not tolerate this kind of blatant neglect, especially when it comes to the well-being of our senior citizens. No more delays. No more excuses,” Mayor Wanda Williams said.

Police Commissioner Thomas Carter said that starting Tuesday, he wants fines issued for every apartment that doesn’t have hot water.

“There are senior citizens living in those apartments who cannot shower or even wash their hands. This is absolutely unacceptable after four months of waiting,” Carter said.

Williams and Carter said City Codes Director Anne Montgomery and her inspection team will test every individual unit for hot water functionality in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. The full building-wide inspection is expected to take several days.

Montgomery said five or six citations have already been issued, with that number expected to rise significantly by the end of the week.

Harmony Towers is currently under receivership. Ownership remains with Lynd Management, which is based in Texas. A regional manager claimed the company is awaiting approval of a $58,000 loan to complete the necessary repairs.

“The City will use every tool available to ensure that Lynd Management fulfills its legal and moral obligations to the people who live here,” Williams said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.