‘A never-ending cycle of fixes.’ Elevator issues in East Orange high rise leave tenants miffed
This isn't the first time. For the past 10 months, residents who live at The Pavilion apartments have dealt with elevators that are constantly broken. Only one is working currently.
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With a cane in his hand and boot on for a broken foot, it has been a struggle to get around for East Orange resident Maurice Roundtree – and it is not just because of his injury.
"I had a doctor’s appointment and come to find out that when I got to the elevator... someone shared with me that the elevator is broken," said Roundtree.
This isn't the first time. For the past 10 months, residents who live at The Pavilion apartments have dealt with elevators that are constantly broken. Only one is working currently.
Days ago, Michael Moss, who is in a wheelchair, went to do his laundry. He ended up getting stuck on the first floor for six hours until maintenance crews were able to repair the elevator.
"You could push the button, but the elevator wouldn't go up, said Moss. "If I would have known that this place was going to be like this I would have never moved here.”
Ervin Griffin, the president of The Pavilion Tenant Association, has been advocating for tenants – saying the broken elevators are affecting peoples’ livelihoods.
"It's an ongoing problem," said Griffin, who cited several recent incidents involving people missing appointments and certain medical emergencies.
The 289 tenants who live in the building say they're looking for a permanent solution instead of a never-ending cycle of fixes.
In an email to Griffin, Vitus Group, the organization that owns the building, says repairs could take anywhere from 6-9 months. Until then, they will continue to fix the elevators when they break.
"They’re basically putting a band-aid on something that needs stiches," said Griffin. "They're just making it good enough for it to be fixed right now and then all of the sudden, it's down."
According to Griffin, the city told Vitus Group that they cannot lease out apartments to new tenants until repairs are made. News 12 reached out to both Vitus group and the city for comment and have not heard back.
