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DENVER, Colo. — Fourteen stories, hundreds of people and an elevator broken for months.
People living in one Uptown Denver high-rise apartment building are waiting, waiting and waiting for the one working elevator.
They reached out to Contact7 to try to get answers.
The problem with Bobby Weber's 12th floor apartment isn't the view, he said.
"The view is great," he said, looking over his balcony. "On a clear day, I can see almost to Wyoming."
The problem is what happens when this partial amputee tries to go down to the street.
"You could wait 15 to 20 minutes sometimes just to get an elevator," he said. "And this started in June."
Contact7 has confirmed that for almost four months, one of the two elevators has not worked in the 14-story high-rise at 300 E. 17th Ave.
David Moyer is one of the hundreds of residents waiting impatiently. He lives on the ninth floor and takes the stairs every day. He said it's great for his fitness, but difficult for logistics.
"Obviously, one elevator is not enough for all these people, and it's enough that it's a safety issue," he said.
Moyer is collecting contacts of frustrated residents, planning to band together to try to get action.
"I've also seen less eloquent methods, like notes scribbled in the elevator. 'Fix the elevator.' 'Reduce the rent.' Some are more profane than others. It's a mess," he said.
In a statement to Contact7, Maxx Properties said the part they need from the elevator manufacturer will "not be available until late October," saying they "feel badly about the inconvenience," but some residents said that is not enough.
"I don't feel like they're taking it seriously at all, no," said Dodie Brede, who lives on the 13th floor and is worried about her neighbors. "I take the stairs a lot because there’s a lot of people in our building who can’t."
Other residents have pets and have a hard time getting them outside in time.
"They say they have to order a part, and then they say they have to fabricate a part, but neither of those should take four months in my opinion," said Nik Timmermans, whose German Shepard has a hard time waiting and doesn't do well in the elevator with other dogs.
Meanwhile, Weber said for him, taking the stairs isn't an option.
"I am a partial amputee," he said, showing his foot. "It can be very painful and I'm on medication for it."
He said he believes people living there deserve a rent break or some compensation because the view isn't worth the wait.
