By Diane Smith
Record-Courier staff writer
Several Ravenna residents who already find it difficult to get around were upset to learn this week that they will have to climb one to three flights of steps to get to their apartments.
The elevator at the historic Etna House on West Main Street in Ravenna is down, and residents learned that it will be six to eight weeks before the repairs can be made.
The four-story building houses 20 apartments. All residents are seniors or are disabled, and there are no first floor apartments in the building.
Fred Zawilinski, executive director of the Portage Metropolitan Housing Authority, said the hydraulic cylinder of the elevator is the culprit. Two elevator companies were brought in and gave the same diagnosis.
"The replacement part will literally have to be manufactured to replace it," he said.
It will take six to eight weeks for the part to be manufactured, he said, and it will cost at least $40,000 to get the job done. Expediting the process would cost another $20,000 and only shave two weeks off the repair process, he said.
"That's a lot of money for an agency that's only getting 82 percent of what the federal government says we're supposed to have," he said.
The replacement part will have a 20-year guarantee, he said.
In the interim, residents have been told they will not have to pay their rent in August, and that adjustments will be made to the September rent. The agency also is providing $20 gas cards to residents who will require their family to help them bring in groceries or run other errands.
The four-story building has apartments on the second and third floor. The top floor is used for storage and the lobby is located on the ground level.
PMHA staff will be on hand to assist residents with getting things from storage, laundry, help up and down stairs and run small errands. Volunteers also are being sought to provide assistance, he said.
A resident of the building, who asked not to be identified, said she is concerned for her neighbors. One woman who relies on large oxygen tanks was headed home from the hospital, another will be heading home this weekend after having surgery, and another man was told that his cancer had spread to his brain stem.
"I need to have knee replacement, and have to take a pain pill every time I go down the steps," she said. "When you're in a world of hurt, even the thought of not having to pay your rent is painful."
She expressed concern for the stability of the staircase, and pointed out that some residents come downstairs several times a day to check the mail or get prescriptions from the pharmacy.
Zawilinski said PMHA staff met with some of the residents Wednesday, and many expressed concern for fire safety. They were told that even in the event of a fire, the elevator would not be functional.
PMHA is offering its house on South Willow Street in Kent to residents who feel "trapped" or have pets to walk. One woman said she will be living with family members until the elevator is fixed, and Zawilinski said those who temporarily relocate will be welcomed back.
"We're trying to arrange help during this time of need so residents can have as much of a quality of life as possible," he said.