Seniors in Rapid City apartment deal with a broken elevator for 6 months

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The elevator at Memorial Park Senior Living Apartments went down February 24, now nearly 6 months later, the problem is still not fixed.

Despite chair lifts being installed in staircases to help people with mobility issues, some of the elderly residents are becoming frustrated at the lack of progress.

Residents of the complex said they have tried to get answers from the Pennington County Housing Redevelopment Commission.

A resident, Marlene Althaus said she is having to pay for grocery delivery because making it up the stairs is too difficult.

“Getting parts for it is a problem because of its age. And we were told they had to manufacture the parts, and I asked them are those parts coming from China? And they didn’t answer me. They asked that question twice, and they won’t answer me,” Althaus said.

A letter dated June 9 said the commission has been, “working every avenue to address the issue as quickly as possible.”

Althaus said she counts herself as one of the lucky ones who can still get around without the elevator, but would still prefer it be fixed.

“I will be happy and excited when this elevator is repaired or replaced or whatever. Just so I don’t have to climb two flights of steps every time I go out of the building to get my mail or whatever,” Althaus said.

Director for Pennington County Housing Redevelopment Commission Bryan Achbach said “we’re waiting on parts from the Otis Elevator Company.”

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