Archive: Around Town

Lansing Housing Authority members are hoping donations will rise as smoothly as a new elevator they are installing at Woodsedge.  The $240,000 project will not only improve the quality of life for residents, but will also facilitate emergency personel when they are called to the senior housing facility.

"The seniors who live at Woodsedge are very excited to finally get a safe and effective way to get to and from the second floor," says Town of Lansing Housing Authority (TLHA) Chairman George Gesslein.  "It has been very difficult for them and they have been hoping for this to happen for some time."

The TLHA is financing most of the project by taking out a second mortgage on the property, but needs to raise $15,000 in additional funding to complete construction.  While celebrating Woodsedge's 30th anniversary a mail campaign has been launched to solicit donations.  A ribbon cutting is tentatively planned around an anniversary celebration later this year.


The project includes an enclosure for a standard hydraulic elevator, some minor indoor changes and the elevator itself.  Furniture and appliances must be carried up the stairs.  A 34 inches by 44 inches pounds Elevette that barely fits two people with grocery bags has a load capacity of only 450 pounds.  Emergency responders are currently forced to carry patients down the stairs because the Elevette in the building wasn't nearly big enough to fit a stretcher.  Gesslein says that the elevator will easily handle a stretcher or gurney along with emergency responders.

"When the original building was built 30 years ago, Bob Baker and the Housing Authority Board were hopeful that an elevator could be part of the original design but it was taken out at the last minute," Gesslein says.  "After a few years the Elevette was installed as a temporary measure until a real elevator could be obtained.  With financing in place and a favorable construction contract, this amenity is finally coming to pass.  The Lansing Housing Authority Board and the residents of Woodsedge are very happy to see this finally come to a successful conclusion."

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