No working elevator in elderly apartment building

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Residents living in the Jefferson Avenue Apartments in Springfield called the 22News I-Team for help, claiming their elevator has been out of service for nearly a month.

22News visited the 43-unit apartment building Monday, where a number of residents said the lack of elevators has caused problems for themselves and their neighbors.

Maribel Perez told 22News that she has a number of health problems that make walking up and down the stairs hard. All of the building's handicapped apartments are on the first floor, but some tenants with medical issues live on higher stories.

“It’s very hard for me to go up and down the stairs, and this elevator has almost been down for a month, and they haven’t done anything. It’s very painful for me, and all the elderly people here with hip replacements who live on the third floor, too, they can’t come down,” Perez said.

Property Manager Maggie Rivera told the 22News I-Team that staff noticed that the elevator was off-line as of May 31. They then called Otis Elevator, which is the company with whom they have a contract. Otis determined that the elevator's motor had to be replaced.

Rivera said that the part has finally come in, and it will be installed by 8:00 on Wednesday. She said that the company told them it had taken so long to find the part because the elevator is 25 years old.