HAZELWOOD, Mo. – When we met Vanessa Downen in late July, the air conditioner in her Hazelwood Forest Apartment unit had been removed but not replaced.

“They actually have a whiteboard above the desk in the office of the manager that has ‘AC units’ written on it. Below it, about 13 other units. Mine is about the fifth one down,” she said.

According to Downen, a new management company took control of the complex a few months ago, further complicating her efforts to get her air conditioning fixed.

FOX 2 attempted to question complex management about the repairs, but no one would answer the door or respond to our follow-up phone calls.

Hazelwood City Manager Matthew Zimmerman said he issued the complex a five-day notice for maintaining electrical systems. He said apartment management told him Downen’s AC would be repaired within the week.

The air conditioner was fixed immediately. Vanessa’s thermostat says it all.

“I know nothing about HVAC, but I can tell you it’s new, and it’s very loud, but it gets the job done quite well. It’s very cool in here,” Downen said.

Zimmerman said the complex didn’t reply to the first notice he sent, so last week, they ticketed the Hazelwood Forest Apartment building for not maintaining its electrical systems. We’re told the matter will most likely be heard in Hazelwood Municipal Court next month.

The city could not verify if all the other units have working air conditioners because, when code enforcement visited the leasing office on Monday, no one could be found. We’ll keep the heat on this issue, until everyone is able to stay cool in their apartments.

“Since you guys were here last, they ordered parts, the parts came in. They had a company, two young gentlemen, come out and fix the AC unit,” Downen said. “It’s a huge relief because now I don’t have to worry about leaving my cat alone during the day in the heat. My apartment was between 76 and 80 degrees all the time. I can sleep better now, which is great.”