Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 2, 2009

SCHUMER PUSHES HUD TO DELIVER EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR WATERTOWN ELDERLY HOUSING COMPLEX, FIX LONE ELEVATOR IN THE BUGBEE ELDERLY APARTMENT BUILDING

Apartment Building Elevator Frequently Breaks Down, Confining Residents With Limited Mobility to Their Rooms

Funding Will Ensure Building and Elevator Are in Good Repair, Provide Residents With Access to Activities and Services, Improve Quality of Life

Schumer Urges HUD to Grant Funding to Building for Repairs, Help Protect Senior and Affordable Housing Options in Area

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced his push to secure emergency funding for the Bugbee Elderly Apartment Building in Watertown. The building, home to low-income disabled and elderly individuals, is in critical need of repair as the lone elevator frequently breaks down, confining residents with limited mobility to their rooms. In an effort to help the local residents at the Bugbee apartment building, Senator Schumer urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in a personal letter to grant an increased amount of federal funds for repairs to the Bugbee building.

“It is critical that we secure these federal dollars to provide mobility and safe, affordable housing for residents at Bugbee,” said Schumer. “In the case of an emergency, a broken elevator could have disastrous implications for the disabled residents in the apartment. I will fight tooth and nail to secure this funding to protect the housing unit and its residents.”

Located in downtown Watertown, the Bugbee Elderly Apartment Building is a six-story facility consisting of 35 one-bedroom units for the elderly and individuals with mobility impairments of all ages. The building presently has only one elevator, and this elevator depends on antiquated, deteriorating equipment. Recently, the facility has experienced more frequent service stoppages. When the elevator is inoperable during these service incidents, disabled tenants of the building’s upper floors are confined to their apartments without access to the activities and services they need to live healthy lives. In the case of an emergency, an inoperable elevator could be potentially life threatening to the residents and to emergency services personnel.

Due to increased needs of Fort Drum soldiers and families, Watertown already faces a housing shortage, further demonstrating the need to keep this facility available as a low-income housing option for the elderly and disabled. Funding under the Emergency Capital Repair Grants Program would enable Bugbee Apartments to make emergency repairs to the building’s original elevator and ensure that the facility remain open.

Bugbee has submitted an application for the Emergency Capital Repair Grants but has failed to receive HUD approval. In an effort to secure the continued functioning of the Bugbee elevator and facility, Schumer wrote a personal letter to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovon urging him to support the building’s application for funding. In his letter, he wrote “It is…vital that we do everything we can to protect existing housing, especially low-income options for the elderly and disabled”

A full copy of the letter is below

The Honorable Shaun Donovan

Secretary

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

451 7^th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20410

Dear Secretary Donovan:

I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by Bugbee Apartments for funding under the Emergency Capital Repair Grants Program. Such funding will enable Bugbee Apartments to perform an emergency elevator repair.

Located in downtown Watertown, in Jefferson County, New York, the Bugbee Elderly Apartment Building is a six-story facility consisting of 35 one-bedroom units for the elderly and individuals with mobility impairments of all ages. The building presently has only one elevator, and this elevator depends on antiquated, deteriorating equipment. As the elevator continues to age, the facility has experienced more frequent service issues. When the elevator is inoperable during these service incidents, disabled tenants of the building’s upper floors are confined to their apartments without access to the activities and services they need to live healthy lives. In the case of an emergency, an inoperable elevator could have disastrous implications for these residents. The continued functioning of this elevator is vital to Bugbee Apartment’s ability to keep this important facility open and available as a low-income housing option for the elderly and disabled.

Funding under the Emergency Capital Repair Grants Program would enable Bugbee Apartments to make emergency repairs to the building’s original elevator, including refurbishing and replacing old mechanical equipment, addressing the deteriorating elevator shaft structural elements, and upgrading the elevator system to meet current safety codes. This project would be coordinated with the construction of a new elevator to be funded by another source, a HUD HOME Fund Grant.

Housing is in short supply in Jefferson County, due in no small part to the needs of the soldiers and their families stationed at Fort Drum. It is therefore vital that we do everything we can to protect existing housing, especially low-income options for the elderly and disabled.

Funding under the Emergency Capital Repair Grants Program would enable Bugbee Apartments to make emergency repairs to the building's original elevator, including refurbishing and replacing old mechanical equipment, addressing the deteriorating elevator shaft structural elements, and upgrading the elevator system to meet current safety codes. This project would be coordinated with the construction of a new elevator to be funded by another source, a HUG HOME Fund Grant.

Thank you for your consideration. For additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me or my Grants Director, Elizabeth Bailey, in my Washington office at 202.224.6542.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

U.S. Senate

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