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The Warsaw landlord whose tenants still have no working furnace said this morning he does not consider the situation an emergency.
"Those people have heat. It's not like it's an emergency situation," said Wade Frauhiger, who owns the apartment building on Smith Street.
Frauhiger was referring to the room-size space heater the family of four is using to heat their two-bedroom apartment.
He said he had already contacted a heating company, Elliott's Heating & Air Conditioning Inc., and it was up to them when the furnace is to be fixed.
"When the bill for the furnace comes across my desk, then I'll know they've put it in," he said.
Bruce Elliott said this morning that he expected the parts previously ordered for the furnace to be in today, and that he would fix the furnace as soon as he receives the parts.
The furnace has not worked since October, and Frauhiger said he authorized Elliott's early this week to do the repairs. The Times-Union has received calls from another contractor who said they could install a new furnace immediately, but Frauhiger said he would wait for Elliott's because their estimate was the lowest.
In the meantime, Warsaw's building inspector, Pam Kennedy, has fined Frauhiger the maximum amount allowable: $50 per day for the nonfunctioning smoke alarm, and $50 per day for substandard housing. As of Thursday, Kennedy said, Frauhiger was facing $350 in fines.
This morning the Guerro family, which includes a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, was using the space heater and the gas oven for heat. Elizabeth Guerro said the bathroom was especially cold, and she runs warm water in the sink and tub to heat up the room before giving her children their baths.
She said the living room is about 60 degrees during the day with the space heater and oven going.
Warsaw Mayor Jeff Plank said today of Frauhiger, "If he doesn't put a furnace in there soon, I will. And if this causes another puppy dog controversy, so be it."
He was referring to an incident several years ago in which city funds were used to buy a puppy for a girl whose dog was killed because of city road construction.
