After nearly two months of being unable to leave their upper-floor apartments, residents of Buckeye Towers are finally getting relief. Family members tell Scioto County Daily News that one of the building’s two elevators is now operational, marking the first step toward restoring normalcy for dozens of elderly and disabled tenants who have been trapped since mid-October.
For many, the news feels like an early Christmas miracle.
Residents have already begun making long-delayed doctor’s appointments, planning holiday outings, and reuniting with family members they feared they would not see this season.
“Only Good Lord Knows” — Signs of Hope Arrived Last Week
Hints of progress surfaced last Thursday when tenants saw two Otis service trucks at the building. One resident posted an emotional update on social media:
“Now currently there are 2 Otis trucks here on the property. I heard new part came in yesterday. Supposed to have been fixed yesterday. So will this be the day!!! Only good Lord knows.”
For residents who had begun to feel abandoned, the sight of technicians on-site offered something they had not felt in weeks: hope.
A Nearly Two-Month Struggle
The outage began October 18, leaving many seniors — including wheelchair users, residents with mobility challenges, and those with serious medical conditions — unable to navigate the stairs in the eight-story building.
For some residents, the experience was nothing short of traumatic.
“It was like being on house arrest without an ankle monitor,” one tenant told SCDN.
Our prior coverage documented missed medical appointments, missed birthdays, residents separated from dying loved ones, and the emotional toll of prolonged captivity inside their own homes.
A Community Under Strain — and a Crisis Bigger Than New Boston
The Buckeye Towers outage is not an isolated event. As SCDN has reported, elevator breakdowns are becoming increasingly common across Scioto County and the nation:
- The Scioto County Courthouse elevator was down for months earlier this year.
- The new Portsmouth City Building is facing a 30-week wait for elevator modernization.
- Buckeye Towers needed parts that had to be shipped, tested, re-worked, and re-tested — a process slowed by nationwide shortages.
To understand why these outages are becoming so frequent, SCDN spoke with Ed Jacovino of Otis, the world’s largest elevator manufacturer and service provider.
Jacovino explained that millions of elevators across the U.S. are hitting a 20-year failure window, where parts become obsolete, downtime increases, and repairs take significantly longer.
“What you’re seeing in Portsmouth is happening everywhere,” Jacovino said.
“Around the 20-year mark, major components begin to fail. Parts may no longer be manufactured. Sometimes they have to be recreated from scratch in machine shops.”
Globally, 8 million elevators are already in the “modernization needed” zone — a number expected to double within a decade as populations age and buildings get taller.
Relief for Residents — But Not the End of the Story
The restoration of one elevator is a major victory for Buckeye Towers residents, many of whom have been isolated for nearly two months.
However:
- The second elevator is still out of service.
- The building’s elevator system is aging and at risk of repeated failures.
- National parts shortages and technician backlogs mean future repairs may take just as long — or longer.
Metzger, the building’s property manager, has previously said the building is now pursuing modernization quotes to prevent future emergencies.
A Christmas Season With Something to Celebrate
For now, families are simply grateful.
Residents who haven’t stepped outside in weeks are seeing loved ones again.
Neighbors who have spent Thanksgiving alone will be able to gather for Christmas.
And firefighters who spent the last two months carrying residents up and down eight floors — sometimes daily — will finally get a breather.
As one family member told SCDN:
“It’s the best gift we could’ve asked for.”
