COLLEEN:
THE MOUNT VERNON POST OFFICE HAS
BEEN
TEMPORARILY CLOSED SINCE JUNE
12TH..
LEAVING PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY
WORRIED AND WONDERING WHEN IT
WILL REOPEN.
COLLEEN:
GOOD EVENING, I'M COLLEEN
MARSHALL. KERRY CHARLES HAS THE
NIGHT OFF. THE POST OFFICE
SPOKESPERSON SAYS THEY'RE
WORKING WITH THE LANDLORD TO FIX
THE
ISSUE.
COLLEEN:
NBC4'S SHAWN LANIER DID SOME
DIGGING AND LEARNED THIS IS NOT
THE FIRST PROBLEM THIS LANDLORD
HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH...
SHAWN HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GET
IN CONTACT
WITH THE PROPERTY MANAGER.
SHAWN:
I HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE
PROPERTY MANAGER JAMES FOGLER
SEVERAL TIMES.. I'VE TEXTED,
CALLED, AND LEFT A MESSAGE, BUT
NO
RESPONSE YET.
YOU CAN SEE THE POST OFFICE'S
SIGN SHOWS IT'S
STILL TEMPORARILY CLOSED..
MEANING THE
AIR CONDITIONING UNIT STILL
ISN'T WORKING.
I FOUND OUT THIS ISN'T THE FIRST
TIME THIS
PROPERTY MANAGER HAS DONE THIS.
HORTENSE YOUBI,DOMINIQUE
AFRICA HAIR BRAIDING: "WE KEEP
CALLING THE MANAGER TO COME AND
FIX IT, BUT THEY NEVER COME
HERE."
REPORTER: "DID YOU EVER GET A
CALL BACK?"
HORTENSE YOUBI, DOMINIQUE AFRICA
HAIR BRAIDING: "NO." FOR MONTHS
THREE BUSINESSES HERE AT THE
MOUNT VERNON PLAZA HAVE HAD NO
AIR CONDITIONING.
IT'S CAUSED THE POST OFFICE HERE
ON NORTH 20TH STREET TO
TEMPORARILY CLOSE BECAUSE OF
UNSAFE WORK CONDITIONS FOR THE
EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS.
HORTENSE YOUBI, DOMINIQUE AFRICA
HAIR BRAIDING: "VERY HOT WE HAVE
TO USE SOME FANS, BECAUSE IF YOU
DON'T USE A FAN WE WILL REALLY
BE IN TROUBLE AND SOME CUSTOMERS
JUST HAVE TO LEAVE BECAUSE THEY
CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT."
PERMANENT HEATING SOURCE. IN
ADDITION TO THAT INSPECTION
THERE WERE
TWO RECENT 311- COMPLAINTS IN
JULY FROM RESIDENTS IN THE MOUNT
VERNON TOWERS, ONE SPECIFIED NO
WORKING AIR CONDITIONING UNIT.
LEAVING YOUBI FRUSTRATED AS A
TENANT KNOWING SHE'S NOT THE
ONLY PERSON HAVING ISSUES.
HORTENSE YOUBI, DOMINIQUE AFRICA
HAIR BRAIDING: " THEY DON'T GIVE
US NOTHING, NO INFORMATION,
THEY DON'T GIVE US NOTHING, NO
INFORMATION, THEY DON'T."
SHAWN:
WE DID RECEIVE A STATEMENT FROM
THE
COLUMBUS CITY ATTORNEY ZACH
KLEIN'S
OFFICE REGARDING THE AIR
CONDITIONING ISSUE... AND IT
STATES...
SHAWN:
"WE UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES
WHEN NEIGHBORHOODS DON'T HAVE
CONVENIENT
ACCESS TO A U.S. POST OFFICE
AND,
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS A
TROUBLING PATTERN
FROM THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE ON
THE EVE OF
AN ELECTION.
KLEIN WENT ON TO SAY " WHEN THIS
WAS BROUGHT
TO OUR ATTENTION, WE REACHED OUT
TO THE
LANDLORD FOR THE MT. VERNON
LOCATION TO REQUEST THAT THE AIR
CONDITIONING BE
REPAIRED EXPEDITIOUSLY."
SHAWN:
AGAIN I DID REACH TO THE
PROPERTY MANAGER JAMES FOGLER
AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK.
LOCAL FOR YOU IN COLUMBUS, SHAWN
LANIER NBC4.
COLLEEN:
