Elevator down until next year

La Conner will wait until next year to repair the elevator in Maple Hall.

After about 23 years of service, the elevator gave up the ghost about six months ago, after one kiddie ride too many.

Town Administrator John Doyle said the control panel is worn out. Maple Hall is frequently rented out for weddings and other events, and the elevator has occasionally been a source of entertainment for inadequately supervised children, “using it as a ride running it up and down,” Doyle said.

Most of Maple Hall’s amenities, including the restrooms and kitchen, are downstairs. Therefore, the facility is still certified for access for people who need wheelchairs and walkers.

However, there is no access for disabled people, other than stairs, to a meeting room upstairs and the balcony. For that reason, the Town Council now holds its regular meetings downstairs.

Janna Gage, director of the La Conner Senior Center, which uses Maple Hall each week, said the broken elevator impacts the seniors by reducing the space that can be used — not everyone can climb the stairs, she said.

At the last Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Brian Lease presented a repair estimate for the elevator, which is so out of date it essentially needs a whole rebuild.

The repair and modernization estimate from ThysenKrupp Elevator Corporation is $71,311.48.

Lease told the council that this year’s Public Works budgeted $60,000 for elevator repair this year. But ThysenKrupp will honor its price until the end of the year, he said.

Therefore, the Town Council voted unanimously to schedule the elevator repair for 2017, when it can budget the additional money needed.