The only elevator in an apartment building for seniors and people with disabilities in Langley City has been out for weeks, and advocates for the tenants are worried it will be out of service for weeks or months longer.
The elevator in the Cedar building at the Langley Lions Housing Society (LLHS) complex on 203rd Street isn’t expected to be operational again for several months.
“It’s been like that for a few weeks now,” said Pavel Pavlovsky, who lives on the ground floor of the Cedar building.
He isn’t inconvenienced, but noted it isn’t great for people living upstairs.
A notice went out to residents of the building on May 12, telling them that the elevator would be out of commission “for an extended period of time,” between two the four months, as replacement parts have to be made to order.
A more recent update provided to Langley City said the wait has been shortened to four to six weeks.
“The society will provide and store walkers on the first floor for those in need,” the notice from the LLHS’s property coordinator says.
It says the caretaker would be available daily to help with groceries, laundry, and large packages between 3 and 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Meals on Wheels volunteers have to carry lunches up the stairs for tenants.
“I’m not aware of anybody in the building on the second or third floor who cannot walk,” said Jeanette Dagenais, executive director of the LLHS.
She also said the loaner walkers are available on the ground floor, and scooters can be kept on the ground floor.
The society has paid extra to have the order for new elevator parts expedited, Dagenais said. She said from June 6, the wait for new parts is likely about five weeks.
Something more needs to be done, said Don Franks, who is the legal guardian for one of the upper-floor residents of the building.
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“Someone needs to be held accountable,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”
Franks, a landlord himself, said he understands these issues can be difficult to repair, but he hasn’t been able to get a response from management on his questions.
“Since Monday I’ve been calling,” he said on June 4.
He serves as the legal guardian for a resident of the Cedar who suffered a serious brain injury in an assault some years ago, and who had no family to look after him.
His ward can walk but has mobility issues, and his power scooter is now stranded in his apartment, with no way to get it down. The resident has to use a walker, which is kept on the ground floor, but can’t get around as effectively with that as he could with his scooter, Franks said.
Langley City council is also aware of the issue at Cedar, said Councillor Rudy Storteboom and Coun. Nathan Pachal.
The council has asked City staff to look into the issue and see what they can do, they said.
Storteboom said a Langley City fire department fire safety inspector has attended the building, and will require the management create a list of those with mobility challenges on the upper floors of the building, as well as a fire safety plan.
The LLHS facility is in the early stages of a major redevelopment. The Birch building, which burned down several years ago, is being replaced by a modern new eight-storey building now under construction, and plans are in place to continue replacing the older buildings in phases, expanding the number of housing units on the site over the coming years.
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