Stranded elderly residents get some relief as one of two elevators are now working at Ralston Towers

Columbus City Inspections and Code Director John Hudgison confirmed Tuesday that one of two elevators at the Ralston Towers is now operational after both elevators were not working leaving some residents without access for about 36 hours.

The fire department notified his office around 5:30 p.m. March 31 that both of the elevators at the 10-story Ralston Towers were down after the fire department had responded to several medical calls at the complex, said Hudgison.

Fire Marshal Ricky Shores said the first call came in at approximately 8:22 a.m. March 31 about an issue with the elevator. He said the elevators are a constant issue for emergency services personnel and can make accessing the residents a challenge.

Residents of the low-income housing complex on 12th Street say they were left stranded without access to their apartments or to the lower floors for 36 hours.

Hudgison went over the morning of April 1 to inspect the elevators and said that management was already in contact with the company that services the building’s elevators. Repairs were underway before lunchtime.

He received an email at 6:45 p.m. stating that one of the elevators is now operational, which a city inspector confirmed Tuesday morning.

Hudgison said that in order to be in compliance with code, the building needs to have one elevator operational at all times. His office sent a letter to the Ralston’s management as well as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Monday, notifying the landlords they had 48 hours to get in compliance with the code.

His concern was for residents who utilize motorized scooters, wheelchairs or other mobility assistance not being able to get up or down from their rooms.

Tyrone Edwards, 66, has lived at Ralston Towers for five years, and said he spent Sunday night sleeping on a pool table on the first floor.

“We’ve been waiting on it all day,” he said late Monday afternoon.

Edwards uses a wheelchair and could not access his third floor room without an elevator. He said he just wanted to get back to his room.

Sheila Jakes, 52, who lives on the seventh floor, said she fell March 31 using the stairs.

“I have a wheel walker,” Jakes said. “I got to have surgery on my spine, I can’t climb those stairs, I’m disabled. Somebody had to help me up there and take me back because I fell.”

The Ralston has 269 rooms and is under Section 8 Project Based Rental Assistance contract with the HUD, which allows low-income residents to pay their rent with a subsidy.

On-site management declined to comment Monday and referred the Ledger-Enquirer to the corporate office of PF Holdings LLC, landlords of The Ralston, based in Newark, New Jersey.

Calls to the New Jersey office were not returned as of Tuesday morning.

Hudgison said he is trying to make it easier for residents of The Ralston to contact his office about future issues.

“Since 2017 I’ve been sending an inspector over (to The Ralston) every two weeks to pretty much hang out because a lot of the residents don’t have cell phones or a way to get complaints to us,” Hudgison said. “This way they can let us know and we can get the inspection done while we’re there.”

Other Issues

The non-operational elevators are on a long list of issues including previous problems with heating, air conditioning and fire code violations that have been reported in previous Ledger-Enquirer stories.

In July 2017, a resident was found dead in a room that was more than 98 degrees after management was warned about persistent issues with air conditioners.

Residents also said they are wondering how long they’ll be able to continue to reside at the complex as Columbus Water Works has threatened to shut off the building’s water because they did not pay the bill.

A sign was placed in the right of way at The Ralston last month, informing residents that their water would be shut off if the landlord does not pay an outstanding water bill before April 26.

Vic Burchfield, vice president of Information Services at Columbus Water Works, said he could not share the amount of the unpaid bill for The Ralston complex with the Ledger-Enquirer.

This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 6:15 AM.