KENNEWICK — Elderly Richland residents are stranded in their apartments and even climbing stairs on their hands and knees after a sprinkler system failed, flooding the lone elevator serving the building.
The Vintage at Richland serves residents 55 and older. The 150-unit, three-story complex is at 1950 Bellerive Drive, near Gage Boulevard.
Residents told the Tri-City Herald they’ve been unable to do everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, fetching prescriptions, socializing or even walking their dogs since the elevator stopped working Sunday.
“I can’t go down the stairs or up the stairs. I’m just locked in my apartment like a caged animal,” an 82-year-old third-floor resident told the Herald.
A 73-year-old second-floor resident said her routine includes dialysis three times a week. On those days, she leaves home at 4:30 a.m. and returns after treatment to rest before going to work at a local church.
With the elevator out, she rests on a sofa in the first floor social hall. She can navigate stairs with great difficulty and said she would not be able to carry groceries. She described crawling on her hands and knees between the first and second floor.
“They’re dragging their feet for whatever reason,” she said.
The outage is the latest in a string of elevator breakdowns, said Alicia Lopez, chair of the Vintage at Richland Tenants Association. The association formed to fight what Lopez called maintenance issues and inattentive management.
The property was built in 2005 after securing $11.8 million in financing from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. The state agency uses tax credits to support affordable projects throughout the state. At the Vintage, rent is based on income and the property is not a nursing home or adult care facility.
On Thursday, managers informed residents a contractor would be working on the elevator and offered assistance with groceries, trash disposal and other chores. It asked residents to enlist family members to help them if possible, according to a notice shared with the Herald.
But owners and managers of the building could not be reached by the Herald to comment on claims by tenants.
Safety concerns
The sprinkler system failure and lack of elevator service poses potential challenges to emergency crews who respond to fires and medical problems.
In a notice apologizing for the “inconvenience” posed by the elevator outage, a building manager advised residents to call 911 if they have a life-threatening emergency.
Richland Fire Battalion Chief Mike Van Beek told the Tri-City Herald he called Vintage’s manager Wednesday seeking current information. The battalion chief’s call had not been returned Thursday morning. Van Beek said the fire department planned to conduct a site visit Thursday afternoon.
He said the department was previously in contact with managers after the sprinkler system broke down in the cold weather.
He said the property is conducting a procedure called a “fire watch,” as required by the fire marshal’s office. A fire watch requires a qualified person “to check the building for any signs of fire at least every half hour 24/7,” he explained.
Fires must be immediately extinguished and the fire department notified via 911. Residents must be alerted and potentially evacuated.
‘Something wrong’
Vintage at Richland is one of more than a dozen “Vintage” branded senior communities in Washington developed and owned by Vintage Housing, based in in Newport Beach, Calif.
FPI Property Management serves as the site manager in Richland. Executives at Vintage and FPI could not be reached. Local and regional property managers were unavailable as well.
“It is obvious there is something wrong with that elevator. It is breaking down too much,” said Lopez. The tenants association wants chair lifts installed in the main stairwell to back up an elevator that tenants describe as unreliable.
At 57, Lopez is Vintage’s youngest resident. She is spending the outage checking on residents and running errands, including going to get prescriptions and food for residents and walking dogs for those unable to get down the stairs.
“I am tired,” she said as the outage extended into its fourth day.
Frustrated, she is searching for legal counsel to advocate for residents.
Feeling stranded
Lopez invited the Herald to interview tenants about their experiences. Most asked not to be identified, saying they feared retaliation and do not want to lose their modest but affordable apartments.
Vintage at Richland is not a traditional apartment complex. It was designed for older residents, with small private apartments offset by public gathering spots on each floor.
Lopez said residents depend on the elevator to travel between the three floors to use the dining room, game room, movie theater, hair salon, library/prayer room and more. Movie night and a weekly Bible study are regular features of the social calendar.
A 94-year-old first-floor resident said she was on the third floor when the elevator failed Sunday. She can’t use stairs, so she accepted help — reluctantly — from Richland firefighters who carried her down.
“It turned out great. They were just so beautiful,” she said. That said, the long-time tenant said outages are a regular feature of life in the complex.
“This place should have two elevators,” she said, adding that the ongoing breakdowns could be solved. “It really needs to be replaced.”
She said the Thursday Bible study, held on the third floor, had to be canceled. that meant 20 regular attendees would miss the opportunity for food and fellowship.
Jane Campbell, a retired engineer who lives on the third floor with two pets, is vice chair of the tenants association
She suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions that make it difficult to use the stairs. She relies on the elevator to get around and to take her small dog, Oscar, outside.
With no elevator, she limits herself to two stair trips a day, saying that wipes her out.
Campbell requested an accommodation from management. She said she was offered two nights in a local hotel equipped with a kitchen. She was advised of the offer at 5 p.m., with a 5:30 p.m. check-in time.
She called it laughable. She doesn’t drive, has no way to get to the hotel or anyway to get around once she was there. She had no way to cart belongings to the new spot and didn’t know if Oscar would be welcome.
She said she intends to file a complaint against Vintage, saying the situation violates various federal laws, including the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act.
Property in ‘good standing’
The Washington State Housing Finance Commission, which financed the project’s construction, confirmed Vintage at Richland is in good standing and in compliance with its regulatory agreements. Generally, it is required to maintain the property, including the elevator.
A spokeswoman said it had not been alerted to any problems.
“We’re concerned to hear about this and have already reached out to the property manager,” said Margret Graham, communications director.
The Washington Attorney General’s Office, which enforces discrimination laws through its Wing Luke Civil Rights Division, could not be reached.
Because Vintage is not a nursing home or licensed senior facility, it is not regulated by Adult Protective Services.
