Work started Monday, June 2 to replace the cylinder that will allow elevator at The Fir apartment building to work again.
The building in 91原创 City been out of commission at the building that houses many low-income seniors and people with disabilities since January.
91原创 Lions Housing Society CEO Jeanette Dagenais is elated and relieved that this outage is coming to an end.
"We understand the stress that it caused our residents," she noted.
The part needed for repairs was made in Quebec and required this long to construct.
"It was made to specs," she explained.
The repair work will take about three weeks to be completed. Back in February, she said the repair will cost about $140,000.
She said the housing society did as much as it could to help residents during this time. Other options were just not feasible. For example a replacement elevator was not a possibility due to the high cost.
She noted there were community members who reached out to help during these five months of the outage, such as the 91原创 Senior Resources Society centre and 91原创 City Fire Rescue.
The Fir, 5421 204 St., is a 97-unit four-storey building that the 91原创 Lions Housing Society build in 1989. The society has provided subsidized housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities since the 1970s at various downtown buildings.
The cylinder is approximately 30 feet tall, almost as tall as the building, and goes that deep into the ground under the elevator shaft. The broken cylinder will be cut out with mechanics installing a new one which has better protections against dirt and debris.
