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The elevator in the Altoona Transportation Center is going down.
Sometime between late October and mid-November, the lift will be out of service to allow for its replacement -- and the replacement elevator won't be available to the public until some time in December, according to Altoona Parking Authority Executive Director Patrick Miller.
The hiatus shouldn't be a problem for customers who use the spiral-floored garage, as only one person -- who has mobility issues -- has expressed concern, and that customer can be accommodated by using an accessible parking space on the first level, said authority office manager Vickie Chilcote.
The authority is replacing the existing elevator, an original component of the 1980s-constructed garage, because parts have become difficult to find for repairs of increasingly frequent malfunctions, Miller said.
Some of those malfunctions have required extractions of trapped customers by firefighters, and those extractions have sometimes damaged the equipment, Miller said.
Although the existing elevator remains in service, the $233,000 project is about 65 percent complete, according to Miller.
That finished work includes installation of electric panels, addition of a new emergency generator and accessibility ramps where elevator users enter and exit onto the garage floors, Miller said.
The new elevator still hasn't been delivered, Miller said.
After it's installed, it will take two to four weeks before inspection is complete, he said.
The city has allocated $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant money to help pay for the project.
The authority will cover the remaining $33,000 or so with money from a 15-year loan it recently took out -- a loan that will also pay off previous debt, Miller said.
Eastern Elevator is the primary contractor, with Bettwy Electric, Ventura Construction Services and Klesius & Sheedy also participating.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.