Becky Krueger’s office has become command central for Broadview Towers residents who want to use the complex’s aged elevator.
“Elevator to 7,” Krueger announces over the public address system, after fielding a phone call for service while sitting behind her desk. “Elevator to 2.”
Since Broadview Towers’ newer elevator went on the fritz, residents and staff have been using the old manually operated Otis elevator that ran, complete with uniformed operator, when the Broadview Hotel ceased to exist about 50 years ago. The old Otis isn’t something that everyone can hop on and move from floor to floor. Since Broadview Towers opened, it has been used as a service elevator for maintenance and for moving residents in and out. In its new position as the only ride at the complex, Krueger had to look for solutions to make it available 24-hours a day.
“Someone had to be trained,” said Krueger, who manages Broadview Towers and trained several people for the job. “We’ve asked our residents to have a lot of fun with everybody who operates the elevator, and to have patience.”
When Krueger is not working, the designated employees or residents take charge.
“So after hours, they carry our little phone and answer, ‘Broadview Elevator,’” Krueger said.
They receive pay for handling that responsibility.
The elevator runs relatively smoothly with its hand-pulled lever, and those who are trained have learned when to crank it to the “stop” side to make sure it lands close to the level of the floor.
“We have a few residents who are very good at it,” she said.
The system will end when the newer elevator has been renovated, which is expected to take six to eight weeks.
The newer elevator had been undergoing “hiccups and glitches” for some time, Krueger said, when Broadview applied for and received an emergency capital repairs grant of $120,276 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. After the grant was awarded, but before needed parts could arrive, the elevator broke for the last time. Broadview Inc., the 501(c)(3) non-profit group that owns Broadview Towers, added approximately $60,000 from its repairs fund to finance the cost of fixing the elevator and replacing all of the complex’s windows.
The springs that lifted the old aluminum windows were breaking and gaps were letting in chilly winds; the windows accumulated condensation between the thermal layers that turned to a frosty look that obscured the views of many residents.
The new windows, installed by AAA Glass of Emporia, keep out the wind, provide a clear view, and are easy to fold out to clean, according to resident Bonnie Shumate. They are a major improvement aesthetically and save energy, too.
“Before, the cold air would just whip in here and even move the (wand) on the mini-blind,” she said. “Now, they’re just excellent.”
Windows have been installed on four floors, the second floor is almost completed and replacements on the first will be started soon.
The upgrades are part of an ongoing effort to make Broadview Towers attractive and efficient for its elderly residents, Johnson said.
A computer lab was added in 2003 as a HUD Certified Neighborhood Network, and recently three new computers were donated by Lenovo, which had taken over IBM’s think center system, Krueger said. Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation donated $300 for a printer, paper, ink and other supplies.
“A lot of the residents do cards and e-mail,” she said. “We’re always looking for people to partner with us, whether it be volunteers to teach a few computer classes, or dollar donations to keep it up and running.”