Dozens of Highbridge tenants said they’re frustrated and forced to walk up flights of stairs because the elevator in their Gerard Avenue apartment building has been broken for two months.
“It’s terrible,” said 74-year-old Averille Huggins, who lives on the sixth floor. “My husband has a bad back. He can’t come downstairs. He's a senior citizen. I have bad knees. We can’t go shopping. We can’t take boxes downstairs.”
When News 12 visited the building on Monday night, they watched people pull carts full of food, senior citizens with canes climb stairs and a delivery driver call a tenant on the fifth floor to let them know he refused to walk up to deliver their medication.
Tenants said they’ve reached out to Parkash Management and just get the runaround.
“They [claim they’re] waiting on the city,” said Karl Palmer, who lives on the sixth floor. “They’re waiting on parts. [It will be fixed] tomorrow for 6 o’clock for sure. And no notice, nothing. They don’t tell you nothing.”
Huggins said they want answers, especially for those tenants stuck in their apartments.
“We have people here in wheelchairs and cannot get to their appointments,” Huggins said. “We have people on dialysis that can’t go.”
A spokesperson for Parkash Management released the following statement:
“Elevator repairs are very complex. One size doesn’t fit all. With a limited number of companies that specialize in elevator repair service, we recently switched to a company that could expedite the repairs at 815 Gerard Avenue. They are already applying for the required city permits and ordering the necessary parts. We are on track for the completion of repairs and restoration of elevator service sometime next month.”