New York State Insider: Albany Corner: Senator Kavanagh, Assemblymember Niou and Councilmember Marte Hold Press Conference on 20 Exchange Place.

 

For release on Monday, March 28.

56 STORY RESIDENTIAL TOWER WITHOUT ELEVATOR SERVICE FOR MONTHS; RESIDENTS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACTION.

When: Monday, March 28th, 11am 

Where: Corner of William Street and Exchange Place 

Who: Residents of 20 Exchange Pl, Council Member Christopher Marte, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou 

New York -- Residents of 20 Exchange Place, a 56-story building with rent-stabilized units, have been without consistent elevator service since October 2021. ConEdison and the building management have consistently pointed fingers at each other, while residents suffer and are forced to climb dozens of stories of stairs on a daily basis. Tenants will rally with Council Member Christopher Marte, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, and Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, demanding ConEdison take action to resolve the electrical issues, and building ownership meets tenants demands for accommodations and concessions.

Electrical issues, a lack of time efficiency from ConEdison, and a lack of transparency from management, have left residents with a lot of frustration and between 1 and 40 stories of stairs to climb. Those with disabilities and medical issues remain trapped in their apartments, and often miss vital doctors appointments due to their inability to leave the building. Building ownership has been providing ConEdison with action steps for months, but ConEdison has not been treating this situation with the necessary urgency. It takes weeks for ConEdison to schedule each action step, blaming bureaucracy and protocol, wasting time that could be spent doing electrical work to solve the problem. Building management has provided some accommodations, like providing hotel rooms, helping residents move to vacant units on lower floors, and hiring delivery runners to go up and down the stairs with laundry and groceries. However, residents are worried that the building is not safe in case of an emergency, doormen are overburdened, and there is often a lack of transparency and communication from management.