UPDATE: It's Cooling Down at Franklin Park

Update: June 2: Chief engineer John Philpott, along with his assistant and several contractors worked to get a temporary chiller cooling the air in the 476 units at Franklin Park.

It started working at 1:12 a.m. Thursday, Debbie Dillon, executive vice president with Fieldstone Properties, said, "I've got a weary staff, but it's operational."

Most people chose to stay in their units rather than go to the emergency cooling shelter across the street at Springhill Lake Elementary, Dillon said, adding they put one family up in a hotel, however, due to a complicated medical situation.

Stating they had 80 employees dealing with 40 year old buildings and 100 service requests a day -- albeit greatly reduced from the 10,000 service requests Fieldstone Properties received in their first six weeks after buying Franklin Park, Dillon said "This is a tough property. This property will chew you up and spit you out."

The chiller first went out at 12:30 a.m. early Tuesday, according to Sharon Thames, vice president of government and public relations, adding the repair team tried to kick start it, but later that day, at 11 a.m., decided it was a catastrophic failure.

Realizing they were in trouble, Dillon reported her first call was to Greenbelt city manager Mike McLaughlin, saying "I need your help." He jumped in immediately, Dillon said.

The temperature is falling in the 476 units, but it will take time for them to cool completely, Thames said. She isn't new to Franklin Park and recalled a similar incident several years ago taking more time to resolve, back when Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIMCO) managed the property. She also recalled longer repair times in general when Empire American Holdings was in charge.

Decisions get made much faster with Fieldstone Properties, Thames said, "They are just more passionate because they're a smaller company." AIMCO had 100,000 units and Empire 40,000, she reported, whereas Fieldstone Properties has 10,000 including the 2,877 at Franklin Park, she said. 

The owners of Fieldstone Properties are very tuned into the property Thames said, explaining how they use an inverted business model with themselves at the bottom, so they consider the frontline people important and as having the ear of the residents.

Original Post: A chiller in the Franklin Park Apartment complex in Greenbelt broke down Tuesday, leaving 476 units without air conditioning in the midst of a National Weather Service (NWS) heat advisory and air quality alert.

Franklin Park's owner, Fieldstone Properties, immediately went into high gear and placed emergency calls to FEMA, Greenbelt city manager Mike McLaughlin, and Reginald Parks with Prince George's County Emergency Management, according to Eric Burka with Burka Studios, a marketing and public relations firm representing Franklin Park.

Burka said a truck is on its way from North Carolina with a temporary chiller and is due to arrive Wednesday morning. Upon arrival, it must be installed, but Burka believes the units will get air conditioning restored today.

The Franklin Park chiller had been on Fieldstone Properties' replacement list, but stopped working in the face of yesterday's extreme heat, Burka reported.

Coincidentally, Springhill Lake Recreation Center was replacing its HVAC system, so tenants couldn't go there for relief. But that was scheduled work, McLaughlin reported and not due to the heat.

Tenants were offered relief, however, at Springhill Lake Elementary School. Prince George's County Emergency Management worked with the school board to keep the school open, McLaughlin said, reporting that it was scheduled to stay open until 11 p.m. Tuesday, but only a smattering of teenagers took them up on the offer, so it closed at 9 p.m.

Multiple facilities are open today to supply emergency cooling throughout the city, McLaughlin reported, citing the Greenbelt Public Library, the Greenbelt Community Center and the Greenbelt Youth Center, he also mentioned Beltway Plaza as a possibility.

The Greenbelt Fitness and Aquatic Center is also open, Julie Magness, administrative assistant for the Center said. Its indoor pool is open until 10 p.m., but they start shutting it down at 9:45 p.m., and its outdoor pool is open until 8 p.m. Prices vary according to age and residence.

The NWS heat advisory has been extended and is in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, and its code orange air quality alert is in effect until midnight, June 2, for Prince George's County and much of Maryland.