PETERSBURG, Va. — Residents with mobility challenges living on the upper floors of the Carriage House Apartments in Petersburg were left stranded Monday morning when the building’s only working elevator broke down.
“It frustrates me, yes,” resident Ezzard Jackson said expressing his concerns about the ongoing elevator issues in the complex.
Charles Lawson Sr. experienced the elevator's unreliability firsthand.
After briefly leaving the building, he returned to find the elevator out of service.
“I was gone no more than about an hour, and when I came back, they tell me I can’t use the elevator,” Lawson said.
Residents like Lawson, who have difficulty walking, voiced their concerns about the stairs, which are not accessible for everyone living in the building.
“You got people in wheelchairs, walkers, they can’t climb them steps at all,” he said.
Emergency services were called to assist Jackson in descending from his upper-floor apartment due to the elevator malfunction.
“Let me see some progress," a dissatisfied Jackson said about the ongoing elevator issues. "Week in and week out, and not being repaired yet, that doesn’t make me feel real good."
Lawson echoed his neighbor's sentiments.
“It ain’t getting better; if it was, the other elevator would be fixed," he said.
Earlier this year, residents were forced to evacuate the building for two months when both elevators were out of service. After moving back in, only one elevator was operational.
By mid-morning Monday, Petersburg Code Enforcement officials and the Fire Marshal were meeting with management at the apartment complex.
The elevator was restored to service shortly before noon, and the property owners were not issued a citation by Code Enforcement.
Jim Reid of Petersburg Code Enforcement explained that the elevators had been repaired but were awaiting a clear inspection certificate.
“Once the clear inspection certificate is issued, then they will have two operational elevators,” Reid stated.
Residents continue to express frustration over the persistent issues affecting their living conditions, highlighting the urgent need for reliable accessibility in the building.
On Monday evening, the property owners of Carriage House Apartments released the following statement:
"The recent elevator outage was caused by someone manually holding the door open multiple times, triggering a safety shutdown. This is standard operating procedure for elevators to prevent accidents. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Regarding the second elevator, it is scheduled to be operational by November 22nd (pending inspection approvals)."
Local News
Residents still frustrated with mounting issues at flawed Petersburg apartments
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