The Daily News reports that the Lower East Side elevator which malfunctioned New Year’s Eve, killing a 25-year-old man, is still not working:
The elevator where a Bronx man was crushed on New Year’s Eve was supposedly fixed two days ago. But it stalled, trapping residents inside once again, The Daily News has learned. Firefighters had to respond Monday to the Broome Street building, where Stephen Hewett Brown was killed, to free the trapped, residents said. “That particular elevator was cleared just 48 hours ago, and people got stuck in it again yesterday,” said Daisy Paez, chair of the Grand Street Guild Tenant Association. “We live in a 26-story building where people have become hostages in their own homes.”
Wavecrest Management, which operates the three-building Grand Street Guild complex, did not respond to the News’ requests for comment. The elevator slammed down on Stephen Hewett Brown Dec. 31, taking his life. After the tragedy, Wavecrest Management said the elevators had been modernized in 2011, but residents dispute that. An investigation by the Department of Buildings is ongoing.
In the City Council yesterday, legislation was introduced that would require elevator repairmen to be licensed. Similar legislation has been languishing in Albany for several years. Earlier this month, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Keith Wright called for renewed efforts to pass the bill in both houses.
Licensed repairmen! novel idea!
Who is responsible? The owner? The manager? It does not seem to be typical NYCHA public housing. Well, newspaper reports say the City owns the deed and the Archdiocese of NY Catholic Charities owns the property and runs it and that they in turn hire Wavecrest, a management agent to manage it, there is or was a big multimillion dollar federal grant and 80% is Section 8 housing which is a federal program that subsidizes and/or guarantees rental payments of the tenants based on a voucher system. Do the feds get involved in inspections? Of course there were Building Department complaints filed on the elevators. Ultimately the owners of the building — Archdiocese and the City — need to solve this. Does the City just hold the deed to the land or does it hold the deed to the building also, the newspaper does not specify. Fixing or replacing 3 elevators one at a time will probably cause quite a disruption.