Elevators, stair lifts and other assisted mobility tools are absolutely essential in various places. Whether it is a home elevator installation or a stair lift design at a local shopping center, enhancing mobility for handicapped people is a major part of maintaining an open atmosphere and boosting self-esteem. However, what happens when an elevator project faces a difficult financial roadblock? This is the problem in Illinois, where a school is looking at a much larger cost than initially expected.

According to the Morris Daily Herald, a local high school is looking at bids costing more than double the initial estimates:

“GreenAssociates Inc., which is designing the school’s first elevator system, told the school board in November the project would be around $334,000, $10,000 more than originally thought due to the need to add a longer ramp into the lobby area of the first floor elevator entrance. But when bids were submitted by six companies, they ranged from $653,754 to $803,000.”

The article says the price hike is most likely due to the weak economic state that has a grip on the country. Although the school board looked at the bids and discussed the project, no votes were held regarding the bids, primarily because of the massive shift in costs. Although cuts to the project were discussed, that notion was dismissed. Some board members mentioned that the school could use the money for other proposals, such as additions:

“There are smaller cuts that could be made, such as not replacing the ceiling on the lower level and rather patch it, and using different flooring material, but none of this would save a substantial amount, he said. Superintendent Dr. Pat Halloran said a solution to improve student mobility has to be done.”

No matter what decision is made, the issue of easy mobility to all students and teachers must be the biggest consideration – it is too important to gloss over.

If you live in a major city, the odds that you spend more than a few minutes waiting or stuck inside an elevator are pretty good. In fact, you may accumulate hours in this situation over the course of just a few months. We all know about the elevator problems big cities like New York City and Washington, D.C. have had in recent years, but the amount of lax elevator inspections in other areas seem to be going up as well. How much time does this end up taking out of a person’s day?

In states like Maryland, there may not be as many elevator issues as there are in Manhattan high-rises or D.C. metro stations, but there is always the potential for concern, especially when you look at lift safety. This is one reason why a recent report should give officials some pause – thousands of Maryland elevators (along with pressure vessels and boilers) have not had required inspections. According to The Examiner:

“A report released Wednesday by Maryland’s Office of Legislative Audits shows that 1,549 elevators and 2,943 boilers and pressure vessels were at least three months behind on required safety inspections as of June 2011. In other words, 7 percent of all elevators and one of every 20 boilers did not meet legal standards for inspections, prompting public safety concerns from investigators.”

Even though this report is alarming, the state is showing signs of improvement in this area, especially since the last time an audit was done. The article says in 2010, more than 5,500 elevators in the state were lacking required inspections. Although this number has gone down, there should be more of a push for the proper inspections. What would happen if a problem wasn’t found in time?

Look at this report in terms of your own home elevator installation and its overall upkeep. Luckily, you have the ability to not only inspect your own lift, but also have an elevator technician come annually to perform minor maintenance along with safety protocol checks. Your house elevator is essential to your mobility and daily life, so make sure you stay up-to-date with routine checks.

We have covered a lot of stories about various elevators throughout the country and the globe that are being installed or repairs. It turns out that issues involving commercial elevators are usually regarded as extremely important, especially when repairs are needed. The majority of times when elevators need work, the problem is brought up to town authorities or other leaders. This is precisely the case in Fort Wayne, IN, where cost overruns are stifling repair work on local elevators.

The Journal Gazette reports that the City Council in Fort Wayne is currently working to figure out how to fit elevator repair costs into its budget. The building in question is Citizens Square, which was bought by the city for $7.3 million in 2009:

“The council Tuesday discussed cost overruns at the new home to city and county government, specifically the need to spend nearly $1 million replacing the building’s six elevators. Controller Pat Roller said that when the city bought the building she believed the city could get four to five years out of the elevators. After everyone moved in, it became apparent the elevators needed work.”

The article says the elevators currently require $10,000 a month in service costs as it stands, making the decision to fix the problems a contentious decision. Budget constraints have made it harder in Fort Wayne, and according to the article, some think the allocation of almost $1 million to fix the lifts is badly timed:

“[D-at-large John] Shoaff questioned whether using the money for elevators was an appropriate use of tax-increment financing revenue, stating that money is intended to be used for economic development. He questioned whether it was appropriate for an unelected body to be making such big decisions, especially in times of tight budgets.”

Has your area had any issues dealing with elevator repairs?

The concept of the elevator has been around for a very long time – since 236 B.C. However, these lifts used pulley systems operated by hand. The motorized elevators we know and love came into existence in the early 1800s, leaving many decades between the current commercial elevators and these original incarnations. Although the majority of elevators have been long since updated and replaced in older buildings, some still remain.

This is the case in Canada’s La Salle County, where an elevator shutdown is on the docket for at least a few months this summer. Why will the elevator be out of order for so long? The construction crew is gutting the shaft for a new elevator installation:

“When the ancient elevator in the old La Salle County Courthouse in downtown Ottawa was temporarily out of service early this week it gave employees and the public a little taste of what to expect this summer…later this year, likely during two to three summer months, the entire vintage elevator is due to be removed and replaced.”

The article says the $234,617 project is going to completely change the way the courthouse does business. Schedules will be rearranged and handicapped accessibility is going to be paramount in determining how cases are set up.  Other options like stair lifts were considered, but wouldn’t work within the confines of current building codes.

Replacing older elevators is a process that is affecting a number of older buildings, especially when it comes to ensuring elevator safety is complete. As we have discussed in this blog, sometimes there is not enough attention paid to commercial and residential elevator inspections and overall safety concerns. Even though this project in Ottawa will definitely put a few people out, having a new, safe elevator will be a good change for everyone.