“I haven’t been downstairs in 34 days.” That’s how one resident of Buckeye Towers summed up life inside the senior high-rise, where both elevators have been out of service for more than a month.
The resident shared the update during the live broadcast of Thursday’s Scioto County Commissioners meeting, saying the reality inside the building is far from what officials have described.
“Mr. Smith Came Here… But He Was Only on the First Floor”
The woman directly addressed earlier comments by Commissioner Merit Smith, who recently told the public that the situation “wasn’t as bad as painted” and praised community volunteers helping residents during the outage.
“Mr. Smith came here to assess the morale, and he was only on the first floor,” the resident wrote.
“He said people were happy and helping each other. I called him out—it offended him—but I apologized, and we’ve had several good conversations. But here’s the thing, I’m older and a lot wiser, and unfortunately, city government isn’t run like old-school government.”
She went on to say she wished she could speak for herself at the meeting — but couldn’t make it there.
“Wish I could be there to speak for myself today!! But I haven’t been downstairs for 34 days!! Holidays are passing some of us by.”
Still Waiting for Repairs
After more than a month of outages, the latest update isn’t much comfort. The resident said she was told the elevators could be fixed in another two weeks — meaning she might not set foot outside her apartment until the beginning of December.
That would make the total outage stretch to nearly six weeks, forcing many residents — most of them elderly or disabled — to rely on neighbors, firefighters, and volunteers to deliver food, medicine, and mail.
Management Breaks Silence with Not So Good News
Buckeye Towers property manager Shavaughn Metzger publicly stated that a replacement drive for one of the elevators had been successfully tested at a facility in Maryland. But once the part arrived in New Boston, she said engineers discovered they couldn’t get it to sync properly with the elevator’s system and later identified multiple faults in the unit.
According to Metzger, the drive has now been shipped back to the manufacturer in Maryland for further repairs. It was returned to them on Wednesday, and the team there is currently working to correct the issues.
Metzger explained that once the manufacturer completes the repairs, the facility should have a clearer timeline for when the elevator can be fully restored. She added that the property is also seeking a cost estimate for upgrading the drive in their second elevator.
She expressed gratitude to residents and community members for the continued support shown during the outage.
“I appreciate residents’ patience and know this isn’t the answer they wanted,” Metzger said.
She emphasized that staff have been focused on addressing the problem from the beginning and that restoring both elevators remains their highest priority.
A Crisis That Won’t Lift
Officials continue to insist the situation is “under control,” but for those living on the upper floors, the crisis drags on. Residents say they’re grateful for the community’s help — but they want answers, accountability, and working elevators more than anything else.
“Holidays are passing us by,” the resident said. “I’ll be here until the first of December.”
Consider this: Should the Village of New Boston send a bill to the new owners of Buckeye Towers for the extra resources that they’ve dedicated to this crisis?