Faulty elevator hinders elderly residents at Aspen Meadow Apartments

March 19-- Mar. 19--Many of the seniors living at the Aspen Meadows Apartments in Longmont feel trapped in their own homes thanks to a faulty elevator that has been out of service three times in the last month.

"A lot of the people on the second and third floors can't get out," Bruce Jensen, a 74-year-old Aspen Meadows resident, said. "They are very upset and it seems to me like the [Longmont] Housing Authority doesn't seem to care about their concerns."

Jensen, who is in constant pain and has to use a walker due to nerve compression caused by a botched kidney surgery, actually fell down a flight of stairs when he needed to get to the lobby so some friends could drive him to a doctors appointment.

Though Jensen was not injured in the fall, many of the residents took note. Some are so fearful of following in his footsteps that they have even resorted to throwing trash bags down the stairs in hopes that those on the lower floors will help them get their refuse to the dumpster.

"It's just very frustrating," Jerrie Salazar, a 75-year-old Aspen Meadows resident, said. "They keep saying they're going to fix the elevator, but they never do. Some people have even had to leave and live with their families."

While the Aspen Meadows staff said they have made themselves available to help residents get up and down the stairs while the elevator is broken, even helping them carry groceries up to their rooms, the residents say it can be hard to get in contact with them when they need it.

Jillian Baldwin, the Longmont Housing Authority's executive director, said that while the elevator is technically still usable, they closed it off to residents to ensure the safety of their residents and have been working diligently with their elevator maintenance contractor, KONE, to get the problem fixed as quickly as possible -- but that the issues were not so easily identified.

Problems reported by residents include the elevator's control pad not responding and that the doors were shutting too quickly for those with disabilities to safely exit. Residents also reported that the elevator would slightly bounce as it moved, giving some of the elderly resident's anxiety.

Since the start of March, The Longmont Housing Authority called KONE seven times to relay issues reported by residents. In response, KONE sent technicians nine times to fix the problem but they either weren't sure what was wrong, didn't have the right part, or were only able to come up with a temporary solution.

Feeling the pressure from angry residents, Baldwin said the Longmont Housing Authority is currently reviewing its contract with KONE to make sure it is getting the best service available, and to ensure there are always backup parts in stock.

As of Monday, Baldwin said the necessary part was ordered and shipped overnight. She expects the elevator to be fully operational this week but noted that the Longmont Housing Authority is looking at making renovations to the building which could include a new elevator as more of a long-term fix.

Longmont Fire Marshall, Michelle Goldman, also noted that the Longmont Housing Authority has done a "good job" of ensuring that residents are trained to know what to do in the event of a fire, and that even if there was a fire, each apartment is equipped with fire doors so that those with disabilities could safely stay in their rooms.

"Fire code does not require an elevator until a building is four stories or larger," she said. "The Housing Authority asks us to witness fire drills once a year, so they're doing their due diligence and that's really all you can do."

John Spina: 303-473-1389, jspina@times-call.com or twitter.com/jsspina24

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