The two elevators at the Athens City Municipal Parking Facility on Washington Street will soon undergo what city officials are calling urgent repairs.
Elevator parts in the facility are said to be obsolete, and replacing them — as time goes on and the state of the elevators further deteriorates — is becoming a near impossible task.
“The elevators we’re looking at installing are going to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant,” said councilman Kent Butler, D-1st Ward.
Installments include new equipment that’s expected to improve passenger safety, such as a voice feature that will give riders a message as they pass each level and announce what floor the elevator stops on.
The voice feature also gives instructions in case of an emergency.
The program is capable of announcing up to 80 different messages that will provide assistance to visually impaired passengers.
“These ADA upgrades are crucial because the handicapped parking spots are located on the third level of the parking garage,” said councilman Steve Patterson, D-at large.
The need for voice activation features was brought up about four years ago because of the election cycle, said Mayor Paul Wiehl, but now it’s becoming a reality.
On Sept. 16, Athens City Council passed an ordinance that allowed the formal bidding process to begin for the repairs.
The city estimates these repairs to cost about $86,000, which will come from the city’s parking garage funds that accumulate from parking fees.
“We have the money in the parking garage fund to fix these, and we’d like to get these done as soon as possible,” Wiehl said.
Even though multiple city elevators need to be updated, the two in the parking garage are most crucial because the building has six stories, city officials said. The city is starting to set funds aside to fix other elevators, including the one in the City Building, 8 E. Washington St.
The Otis Elevator Company services the city’s elevators.
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