Residents forced to create pulley system after elevator stopped working

SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- Residents inside one building at the Tamarac Pines Apartment Complex in Spring want to know when their elevator may be fixed. Concerned family members contacted Eyewitness News about the frustrating situation.

They told ABC13 the complex is home to many elderly and disabled individuals.

Donna Meline spoke with our crew when we arrived to the property. She explained the elevator went out last Wednesday and is still not working despite promises by management.

"Why I have problems walking anyway, and oh Lord, just getting down the stairs is a problem for me because I have nerve damage," said Meline. "They said they would be back to fix it Thursday and they didn't do it. Friday, they didn't do it."

Meline showed a sign near the elevator's button. It read, "the elevator in this building is out of service until tomorrow morning when parts can be obtained."

Katy Miller said the sign has been up since last week. She also told Eyewitness News her relative and most everyone else who lives in the building are senior citizens.

She said they have a difficult time making it up and down the stairs. She even pointed out extension cords and dog leashes which had been tied together. Miller said residents created a pulley system of sorts.

"They load the groceries up. If you take it all the way up to the 3rd floor, you see this is how they are bringing their groceries up," said Miller, who demanded an immediate fix to the elevator. "A day. I would say it needs to be done, like as soon as possible. It should not exceed a day."

Eyewitness News also saw notices posted on doors dated July 3, 2017. The notice titled "TO ALL RESIDENTS IN BUILDING 2" read, "We want to keep you informed on the progress of the elevator repair for your building. A motherboard was ordered as soon as the elevator was found to be broken. The next motherboard installed also did not work. When the third one was installed, it only lasted a short time before going out. Now, the door encoder is bad and a new one has had to be ordered. Estimated time of arrival is Wednesday or Thursday of this week. We apologize for this great inconvenience to you, but please know we are doing everything possible to restore the elevator back to working order as soon as possible. Thank you from your patience and understanding. - Management."

ABC13 reached a woman in the front office on Monday. She told us by phone the elevator was still being worked on. The office was closed on Tuesday for the holiday. Our calls for further comment have not been returned.