Midtown apartment residents upset elevators keep breaking

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Residents of a Midtown public housing community are fed up with dealing with broken and unreliable elevators.

Their home, Charlottetown Terrace, is an 11-story high rise for people with disabilities.

Residents said the building has had elevator issues for months, but the boiling point was Friday morning when both elevators were out of service for several hours. Residents worry about their neighbors who rely on wheelchairs or have issues walking.

"I am not about to be stuck in the house all day and not be able to come down," said a resident, who relies on a wheelchair and did not want to be identified. "They need to get it fixed. They need to make an effort to get it fixed. What are they going to do about the people in wheelchairs?"

Another person, who asked to not be identified, said he had to help his friend who can't walk well down several flights of stairs. He's upset because of the lack of urgency for repairs.

"They (management) go home every night. They don't have these issues," he said. "We got to live here."

Charlottetown Terrace is a Charlotte Housing Authority community.

A spokesperson told Channel 9 one of the elevators has been fixed and parts have been ordered for the second elevator. The spokesperson said there are plans to upgrade both elevators.

"The well-being of our residents is important to CHA; therefore, we are working to complete the upgrades as soon as possible," said Shaunté Evans, who is EVP of administrative operations. "If a problem arises with the functionality of elevator one, our emergency response team will be dispatched to address our residents' needs."

Residents said that can't happen soon enough.

"Please step up to the plate," resident Dorian Evans said. "It is time to care about us. It is time to fix this problem"

"We pay rent here," resident Sherrisha Samples said. "Why can't we get the elevators fixed?"

[ALSO READ: Catawba County's Cherie Berry, the 'elevator lady,' won't seek reelection]

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