Public defender's office, pet rescue among those struggling without AC

 

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The hum of portable cooling units and the buzz of industrial fans filled the hallways of the state public defender's office in Racine Tuesday. Staff has been working without air conditioning the entire summer, but the past two days have been especially rough with the heat index topping 100°.

"Miserable. Absolutely miserable," Adrienne Moore, regional attorney manager at the Racine office, said of the conditions. "I have this fan to my right that's blowing. There's this AC unit. There's literally a fan that's blowing in my face, and still, I'm sweating."

Moore said it was difficult for staff to do much of their work since serving as a defense attorney calls for in-person meetings with the people they represent.

"We like to conduct business, of course, in our offices, with our doors shut, so we can have confidential conversations with our clients," she said. "We can view video; we need to view video that we need to view for cases."

Adam Plotkin, director of public affairs for the Wisconsin State Public Defender's Office, said the Racine location rents its office through the state Department of Administration (DOA). 

Plotkin said while the office deals with occasional mechanical issues at its 40 locations across Wisconsin, the situation in Racine has become "particularly troublesome."

"There's no way that it doesn't make it harder to have those regular client communications," he said. 

Racine County property tax records list John Kurtz of New Berlin as the owner of the building. Attempts to reach Kurtz were unsuccessful Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the DOA said in an email Tuesday the state was in contact with the landlord and trying to find a solution.

"Under the terms of the lease, full responsibility for facility maintenance rests with the building landlord," the statement read. "We have been in contact with said landlord since this issue was first brought to our attention, have underscored the urgency of the matter, and are committed to ensuring the property owner restores air conditioning services to the office as expeditiously as possible."

Moore said the building's owner installed the portable AC units Friday, but they only made a dent in the areas immediately surrounding them. She took a CBS 58 crew into one attorney's office that didn't have an AC unit, and the temperature was 92°.

"I have indicated to staff that they can work from home," Moore said. "But in Racine, if the client is in court, we're going to be in court with the client."

Samson, a 10-year-old rescue cat deals with the heat inside H.O.P.E. Safehouse, where the AC has been out since Sunday.

Going without AC during the dog days of summer is also stressing the six cats currently housed at H.O.P.E. Safehouse. The rescue's fundraising coordinator, Teri Sharp, said staff noticed the air had gone out Sunday night.

The cats, which were taken from shelters and fostered until they were ready for adoption, were showing signs of the heat wearing on them, even though fans and other temporary fixes kept the temperature to 80° by Tuesday evening.

"They're hot. I mean, they're just laying around," Sharp said. "They aren't as active. It can't be fun."

Sharp said the rescue had an appointment for a crew to replace the air conditioning system on Friday, but that will cost an estimated $4,500.

"It was definitely something that wasn't expected," she said. "So, in order to come up with that money, it's gonna take away from our money to rescue."

The rescue has set up an online fundraiser to help cover those replacement costs.

There is some relief ahead for both the public defender's office and the pet rescue, as temperatures and humidity levels are expected to drop as the week progresses.