CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Residents at Ashlake Crossings, an independent living facility for those 55 and older in Chesterfield, have been without a working elevator for two weeks — leaving some mobility-impaired tenants unable to leave the building.
A 75-year-old woman who asked not to be identified says she suffers from a heart condition and, following recent surgeries, cannot walk up or down the stairs.
"I can't live like this. It's going to kill me," she said. "I've had to have the EMTs come and take me out of the building."
The building has 67 units, and many residents rely on mobility aids. One resident's family member expressed concern about their father, who uses a walker.
"My dad lives here, however I am concerned for him. He uses a walker so he hasn't been able to leave the building for going on two weeks now," they said.
Mia Huett, a resident who relies on a mobility scooter, says the outage has taken a significant toll.
"I've missed nine therapy appointments, three doctor appointments," Huett said. "Mentally and physically, it's been a little hard. It's been hard."
After hearing concerns from residents about the elevator, I checked it myself and learned the permit for the elevator expired June 30.
Huett says the lack of communication has added to residents' frustration.
"We don't know what's going on, and two weeks is a long time," Huett said.
The unnamed resident said the situation has pushed her to consider leaving.
"I just want to be gone, and it looks like I'll end up having to," she said.
Property managers responded with a statement that reads:
We deeply appreciate all of our residents at Ashlake Crossing and sincerely regret the impact this elevator outage has caused on their daily lives. All necessary repair components have been successfully ordered and are now with the elevator technicians. Expert technicians are officially scheduled to begin the repair work this Thursday and residents have been updated with this timeline.
Management expects this repair work to resolve the disruption, though a definitive resolution cannot be fully verified until the Thursday repair work concludes. Teams remain on standby to immediately troubleshoot and address any secondary mechanical issues that may arise during repair.
Ownership is actively collaborating with local county officials and fire department personnel to facilitate temporary support resources for affected tenants. Management is committed to tracking repair progress in real-time and will issue direct timeline updates to all residents as mechanical benchmarks are met.
While repair work is set to begin Thursday, a timeline for when the elevator will be fully operational was not provided.
Watch for Kelsey Jones' reporting on CBS 6 and WTVR.com. Have a story idea or tip for Kelsey? Email her.
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