A Bloomington City Council member says an elevator at a senior living apartment downtown may be fixed by Wednesday, nearly two months after it was first reported as out-of-service.
Ward 9 council member Tom Crumpler told WGLT that repairs to the only elevator at The Downtowner are expected to be finished by that day; the elevator has not been working since Oct. 25, according to city records.
"The owners of the building live out of town and, I think, perhaps were not aware of how how dire the situation was," Crumpler said. "It was a situation in which our residents really were in a tough situation."
The eight-story building at 109 W. Market St. is managed by Rockford-based company Mid-Northern Management that also manages Lincoln Towers downtown. The Downtowner offers subsidized housing to older adults. Of the 36 people living there, four use a wheelchair.
The company received a violation notice from Bloomington's code enforcement division on Nov. 9, setting a date of Nov. 17 for compliance.
But the issue has persisted past Nov. 17 because of the elevator's age and difficulties repairing it, according to city records. A necessary part for the elevator — called a selector board — didn't arrive until after Nov. 17.
The technician working on the issue "was one of ... the best and the most familiar with this type of equipment," city records said. But "the tech was stumped at this point and is trying to get help in solving the issue."
A report provided to the city recommended the entire elevator be modernized, a process that could cost between $350,000 and $375,000.
Crumpler told WGLT city manager Tim Gleason and others visited building management earlier this month and developed an interim plan for residents.
"The plan, as I understand it, is to hire additional staff, additional people to be in that building 24/7 to help residents get groceries to, if they need to, get out, [and] to get to medical care," Crumpler said. "I think when the city manager stepped in and said, 'Hey, we've got to get this taken care of,' and then spoke with the building manager who reached out to the owners — things are really on track for resolving the situation."
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, which includes a division that oversees elevator safety and compliance in the state, said in a statement it is monitoring the situation.
Also included in city records from October were multiple complaints of bed bug infestations at the apartment building. Four units were treated accordingly.
Mid-Northern Management was not immediately available for comment at the time of publication.
Charlie Schlenker contributed reporting.
