Heating Woes at Massive Binghamton Apartment Complex

There have been heating problems in about 60 units at the Town & Country Apartment complex on Binghamton's North Side for several days.

City firefighters were sent to the complex around 12:45 a.m. Monday when an alarm was activated by a burst pipe associated with a baseboard heating system.

The pipe was in an apartment that has been vacant for several months. The unit had not been cleaned out after the last resident departed.

A person familiar with the situation said some residents reported their apartments had been without heat for a week.

There are 257 apartments in the 22-building complex at 100 Roberts Street east of the Binghamton Plaza.

Assistant property manager Antoinette Gueits said there has been "minimal heat" in buildings one through five in recent days. She said one of the two boilers used to heat those building must be repaired. She said she did not know the temperature in the affected apartments.

Gueits said hot water is still available in the affected buildings. She said the complex management has been working with city code enforcement as efforts are made to restore normal heat.

Last year, Mayor Richard David announced a $38 million plan for the purchase and rehabilitation of the troubled apartment complex.

Joseph Eddy of JE Properties of Boston discussed the project, saying "we're looking forward to providing vastly improved, safe, affordable, quality housing for over 500 residents."

The plans unveiled in July 2019 called for "new boilers and energy efficient upgrades" to the apartment buildings.

Broome County online property records indicate Town & Country Apartments are owned by an LLC based in the Syracuse area. It's not known when the announced sale of the complex may be finalized.

This story has been updated to reflect information provided by the apartment complex management.