IOWA COMPUTER STOLEN FROM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OFFICEDesMoinesRegister.comREGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 8, 2005
This is so not cool.

Thieves over the weekend walked away with a third of the window air conditioners city officials had on hand for low-income Des Moines residents this summer.

The 16 units disappeared from a Community Development Department office at 2011 Forest Ave., where employees last week also reported the theft of a laptop computer and a small amount of cash from a desk.

There were no signs of a break-in. No arrests have been made and no suspects identified in either case.

"It couldn't happen at a worse time. With this kind of weather, we are at the height of distribution" of the air conditioners, said Steve Gunson, deputy director of community development for the city.

The units, purchased with a state grant, are distributed each summer to people who can show they are necessary for health reasons, said Melissa Nordell-Earp, who runs the field office.

About five air conditioners had been given away so far this year. Last year, the office distributed 28.

The units are kept in a storage room along with items collected for a food pantry.

"One staff member remarked Tuesday that it looked like we'd given away quite a few air conditioners," Nordell-Earp said. A quick inventory determined that of the 48 units in the storage room, about a third are unaccounted for. Gunson said the air conditioners are worth about $120 each.

Meanwhile, Tuesday's temperatures climbed into the low 90s, the hottest readings in central Iowa since August. So far, no one has been turned away for an air conditioner, but "when the heat picks up, we'll see more" applicants, Nordell-Earp said.

Until then, city officials will "do as much as we can to put in some short-term security measures," Gunson said. "We'd like to get the air conditioners back.

"We'd like that laptop, too. It's worth $1,200."