SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - KOLR 10 Investigates continues to follow the elevator fiasco at a Springfield apartment complex home to elderly and disabled tenants.

Since we first brought you the story in June, the city declared Jenny Lind Hall a nuisance property, but the elevators remain broken. Now, city leaders are calling for a federal investigation.

"Please fix that dadgum thing so we can get back to being normal," said Marsha Walker, who lives on the second floor.

She says even the one flight of stairs she has to climb is a tall task when you're battling health issues.

The elevators have been out of commission for nearly three months. The ongoing outage prompted Springfield City Council to take action against the Cleveland-based building owner this week.

"This facility is located in my zone and I think by now we've all heard the concerns expressed by residents at this facility," said councilman Brandon Jenson.

Jenson is one of three co-sponsors that presented a resolution "expressing support for the residents of Jenny Lind Hall, encouraging HUD to investigate Millennia Management for compliance with federal law and in the event it finds violations, to use all enforcement means necessary to remediate such violations."

At least two council members said they went to the apartment complex themselves and talked to renters. They also spoke to the building's management company.

"Councilman Jensen and I did meet with Millenia, the property owner, and we were assured that these issues had been brought to the attention of management and that they would be resolved and they have not been resolved."

Tenants are fed up with the ongoing issues too. When KOLR 10 Investigates talked to Shirley Jones in June, she was having a tough time taking the stairs up to her third-floor apartment.

"It's not easy at all," said Jones. "I had two strokes and my arms shake. I have to hold on to the rail and make sure I don't fall. It's hard on a lot of handicapped people."

Shirley's son told KOLR 10 Investigates that since our interview, her health has declined further and she's moved to a hotel.

Councilwoman Heather Hardinger indicated the city intends to follow up on the ongoing problems.

"We do continue to attempt to hold this property manager accountable for their actions," said Hardinger.

City council passed the resolution unanimously. However, KOLR 10 Investigates learned HUD has been aware of the situation at Jenny Lind Hall since June, so it's unclear how the city's resolution could change things.

We'll continue to follow this story for updates.

If you have a story you'd like KOLR 10 Investigates to look into, email [email protected] or call 417-295-TIPS.

News Source : https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/investigates/city-council-calls-for-federal-investigation-into-elevator-fiasco-at-jenny-lind-hall/