Imagine living in an apartment where you cannot open the windows or turn on the air conditioner, even in summer. Residents of one apartment house on the Upper West Side say that's the nightmare they've been living since last August. NY1's Michael Scotto filed the following report.
Since August, Gabriel Wimberly's West 95th Street apartment has felt like an oven.
His windows and terrace door have been nailed shut and covered outside with plastic. His air conditioner has been sealed, too, making it impossible for him to get any fresh air.
"The tenants feel like they are being caged up like animals," Wimberly said.
The owner of the building, which is being converted to condos, says drastic measures are needed to protect tenants from dust caused by repairs to crumbling balconies. But tenants, many rent-regulated, say enough is enough. Their apartments are sealed, and dust is getting in anyway.
At a meeting, they pleaded with their city councilwoman for help.
One woman said she had to get an oxygen machine.
"I can't breathe," she said. "I bought the machine because I know the air is bad."
Manuel Casanova's bedroom windows open. But the windows and door in his living room are still bolted shut, even though construction outside his apartment ended months ago.
"From November all the way to now, why do I have plastic?" he said.
The local councilwoman, Helen Rosenthal, says she's trying to get that question answered.
"The notion that you could put plastic, basically wrap the entire building in plastic and bolt some of the windows and doors shut, is unheard of," Rosenthal said.
The Buildings Department says it found no violations during a visit last week.
The company that owns the building says it is following "industry-best practices" and that tenants can get rid of the outside plastic by signing a waiver. But some residents fear signing the waiver would mean giving up the right to bring a lawsuit arising from the renovations.
The plastic is supposed to be removed this summer.
Building management says it expects construction to wrap up by the end of the year but warns it could go on a little longer.