Elevator maintenance continues as the Courtright Memorial Library is being updated to comply with American Disabilities Act regulations.
“The elevator did not violate any safety rules,” said Lois Szudy, Library Director at the Courtright Memorial Library. “The old elevator was always safe, just not very reliable.”
The elevator is undergoing this maintenance to comply with the ADA. The controls in the old elevator were too high for someone in a wheelchair to reach. The new elevator will be completely compliant with the ADA regulations.
The new elevator is projected to be finished by no later than mid-March. Otterbein has budgeted $80,000 for the project. The elevator is subject to the City of Westerville and the State of Ohio permit process.
The elevator is being updated by Otis, the company that maintains the elevator, to act and look like a brand new elevator. Not all the parts will be replaced, but the inside will have new paneling, new inside doors and new controls on both the inside and outside.
The mechanics have been upgraded so that the elevator ride will be smoother and more reliable.
“I think everyone will really be pleased with the new elevator in the library,” Szudy said. “We just need to be a little more patience as the final work is being completed.”
Even with the elevator out of service, the Courtright Memorial Library staff has helped students who need the elevator in order to reach other floors of the library. Szudy said the staff has retrieved items that students have needed from other floors of the library so they don’t need to go to other floors.
This is the first renovation of the Courtright Memorial Library elevator. The elevator is original to the building and has been properly maintained and serviced over the 41 years of its life.
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