Elevator issues have plagued Jenny Lind Hall residents for months

The six-story Jenny Lind Hall building continues to face elevator problems, and the city is taking additional steps to abate the issue as management remains silent about the persistent issues.

Jenny Lind Hall, at 711 S. Jefferson Ave., is U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-subsidized housing catering to those 62 and older or those with disabilities. For months, Springfield City Council has heard from residents and local advocates who have reported broken elevators and other health and safety concerns in the apartments. The city's Department of Building and Development Services began investigating the elevator complaints Feb. 2.

On Friday, the city issued a notice for a Sept. 17 hearing for the nuisance building case, according to a city news release.

What is a nuisance building hearing?

If a hearing officer determines that a building violates the dangerous, blighted and nuisance building code, the city can order repairs within a certain timeline and the owner has 30 days to comply with the order. In the event repairs are not made and the order is not followed, the city can then take matters into its own hands and assess the costs through a special tax bill against the property, according to the release. The owner can also be cited for a municipal ordinance violation if they fail to comply with an order.

The building will not be closed. The hearing was scheduled because repairs have still not been made and the management has stopped communicating with BDS, the city said.

There are currently 67 tenants at Jenny Lind Hall, according to the release, with nine staying at a hotel paid for by management.

History of problems with Jenny Lind Hall management

According to online reports maintained by the city, in early February, an on-site manager said a company had been contacted about repairing one of the elevators, while the other had been out of service for three years. For months as city staff continued to reinspect the building, the elevators remained out of commission. A reinspection Aug. 1 indicated that the parts for the elevator were finally acquired and the elevator appeared to be working. But an entry filed four days later notes that another issue with the generator was found when the elevator was inspected, prolonging the lack of accessibility.

Since then, city records show staff contacted a representative at an elevator repair company that was awaiting the management group's approval of the funds to pay for the repairs and noted that even if those funds were issued, the elevators would still be out of commission for several weeks.

More: Springfield council sends message to Jenny Lind Hall management after problems continue

BDS posted a notice and order to abate and repair the elevators July 25 and made several attempts to contact the building management and Millennia Housing Management, the owner of the building, which also operates more than 280 developments in 26 states out of Cleveland, Ohio, according to its website. The city, however, was met with no response.

In March, HUD barred the company from any future business with the federal government for five years for " financial mismanagement " as well as lack of maintenance, according to reporting by Cleveland.com .

Earlier this month, City Council issued a resolution encouraging HUD to investigate Millennia Management for compliance with federal law. In particular, the council raised concerns over compliance with the Uniform Relocation Act , which in part ensures displaced persons from subsidized housing are treated fairly and do not suffer disproportionate injuries. Two council members had met with Millennia representatives who assured them issues would be handled.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Elevator issues have plagued Jenny Lind Hall residents for months