The installation of elevators in existing houses is an extraordinary move for the old community to cope with the aging of the population, and it is also a necessary move to facilitate the residents of the community to go up and down the stairs.
Limited by many factors such as ventilation, lighting, and aesthetics, it has become a top priority to do the ideological work of residents on the 1st and 2nd floors.
Recently, 5 unit buildings in the Fengrun Garden Community of Lanhu Community have discussed and conspired together, contributed funds and efforts, and submitted applications for the installation of elevators to the community.
In the past few days, the reporter has interviewed the owner of the successful installation of elevators through joint discussion and co-construction and management in the Fengrun Garden community.
Pain points: difficulty in going up and down, inconvenient entry and exit
According to reports, Fengrunyuan Community is located in the south of Ezhou City, construction began in 2002 and was fully completed in 2005, with a total of 24 houses, 64 units and 1024 households. There are 2,000 residents, including more than 800 elderly people over 60 years old.
"The elevators installed in 12 buildings and 1 units are self-funded, supervised by themselves, managed by themselves, and worked together. Since the trial at the end of September this year, the residents of the community have paid great attention", said the owner Pan Li happily.
Pan Li is the owner of the 5th floor of 1 unit in 12 buildings in Fengrun Garden Community. She recalled that eight years ago, the elderly in the family suddenly suffered from heart disease, because there was no elevator, it was very inconvenient to go downstairs. Later, with the help of her neighbors, she and her family successfully carried the old man downstairs. During this period, there was a lot of delay.
Pan Li said that Fengrunyuan Community is located in the downtown south of the city, and its living facilities are very complete. Since the community is a staircase, young people have moved out of the community one after another. At present, more than 40% of the residents of the community are elderly people over 60 years old. Now, the unit building of the community is gradually installed with elevators, which is very timely and quenches the thirst of the residents of the community.
Pan Li said that there is no elevator in the unit building, and for the elderly with inconvenient legs and feet, it is often "can't go up and down, can't get up and down"; For parents with small children, carrying items needs to be carried hunched over their shoulders, and getting in and out is quite laborious.
Mr. Xiong, the owner of the 6th floor of Unit 1 of Building 12, said that his mother, who is in her nineties, used to live with him, because the floor is high and there is no elevator, and his mother spends a lot of time every time she goes downstairs. In desperation, his mother moved back to her original neighborhood.
In July 2021, the owners of 12 buildings and 1 units held a Zhuge Liang meeting and asked for elevators. However, owners on the 1st and 2nd floors believe that the installation of elevators will affect the lighting, ventilation, aesthetics, etc. of their houses, and their enthusiasm for participation is not high.
In this regard, community staff, building directors and volunteers have visited the homes of owners on the first and second floors more than 10 times. In the end, after many efforts, the owners of the 1st and 2nd floors agreed to install elevators, and collectively signed and confirmed.
Preparation: capital contribution, investment and labor
Tong Xianbo, secretary of the comprehensive party branch of the community, said that the installation of elevators in the step room is something that the owners are anxious about, and according to the principle of "civil people's proposal, civil people's discussion, and civil people's decision", the owners of 12 buildings and 1 units have held bench meetings many times to discuss the installation of elevators.
Tong Xianbo said that there are two main forms of elevator installation in existing houses: first, the cost of elevator installation is borne by the elevator company, and the owner pays each time he uses the card; Second, the elevator installation cost is borne by the owner, free of charge, and the maintenance cost is borne in the later stage.
After many negotiations, the owners finally chose the second option. At the end of 2021, the elevator company gave a budget of 340,000 yuan for the installation of elevators, including elevator equipment fees, installation fees, and two-year maintenance and protection fees.
Tong Xianbo introduced that the owners unanimously agreed that the cost of elevator installation should be borne by the owners above the 3rd floor. The specific apportionment standard is: the owner of the third floor contributes more than 10,000 yuan, on this basis, each floor increases by 5,000 yuan, and the top floor contributes the most, more than 40,000 yuan.
Soon after, the owners raised a budget fee of 340,000 yuan for the elevator installation. According to the method of "capital contribution, investment and labor", Pan Li was responsible for running errands, and she spent more than two months running procedures in housing construction, self-regulation, urban management, fire protection, market supervision and other departments, as well as streets, communities and other places, and this is only a microcosm of the owner's investment and labor.
In the process of elevator installation, all owners are involved, some are responsible for supervision, some are responsible for maintaining order, some are responsible for coordinating the installation of electricity meters, some are responsible for the migration of water, electricity, gas and other pipe networks, and some are responsible for running acceptance...
Mr. Xiong, the owner, said that in order to minimize the impact on ventilation and lighting on low-floor residents, the elevator installation design plan specially reserved ventilation corridors and used glass materials as the outer wall of the elevator, which was highly recognized by the owners on the first and second floors.
"The reason why the elevator can be installed smoothly is due to the full discussion and joint efforts of the owners." Mr. Xiong said that the owners who were ready to go out to buy elevator rooms have not left, and now there are 6 residents in 12 buildings and 1 unit, and they have carried out all-round renovation of their houses and are ready to spend their days here.
In addition, in response to the problem of electricity charges incurred during the use of the elevator, the owners applied for the installation of electricity meters, opened special accounts, and adopted the method of sharing electricity costs equally to ensure the long-term normal operation of the elevator.
On September 28, 12 1-unit wall-mounted elevators were officially put into trial operation. At present, the overall operation of the elevator is good, and many surrounding residents spontaneously come to visit the "learning experience".
The result: convenient travel, one-click arrival
Cheng Yufei is a grid member of Lanhu Community and is responsible for the daily work of Fengrun Garden Community. She introduced that the installation of elevators in existing houses is not very popular in the city, and it is relatively difficult to do mass ideological work at the beginning. But the solid ice is slowly melting.
Cheng Yufei introduced that at present, 20 unit buildings in the Fengrun Garden Community have applied for the installation of elevators, and after preliminary investigation by housing construction, fire protection, urban management and other departments, all of them meet the installation requirements.
Cheng Yufei said that the preliminary work of installing elevators in 3 buildings, including 21 buildings with 3 units, 25 buildings with 1 units, and 23 buildings with 2 units, has been completed, and relevant cost sharing agreements, installation plans, owner's identity certificates and other materials have been submitted to the Street City Construction Office and are waiting for approval.
"The difficulty in installing elevators lies in obtaining the consent of the owners on the 1st and 2nd floors", Cheng Yufei said, "the old and the old, the young and the young", everyone can only find the "greatest common divisor" in the difference by comparing hearts and thinking from another position.
Yu Hui, director of the community committee, observed that by mobilizing the masses, organizing the masses, and relying on the masses, the sense of ownership of the residents of the community has been continuously enhanced, and at the same time, their sense of identity, belonging, and pride in the community has also been continuously improved.
Li Ling, secretary of the Lanhu Community Party Committee, said that during the installation of the elevator, neighbors have moved frequently, neighborhood relations have been harmonious, the quality of the community has improved, residents' sense of autonomy has been enhanced, and the ability of grid members to do mass work has also improved.
Li Ling said that in the next step, Fengrunyuan Community will also use the concept of joint creation, actively play the demonstration and leading role of party members, building directors and volunteers, organize and mobilize more residents to participate in the construction of the community, and effectively solve the worries, worries and worries around residents, such as road surface blackening, ecological parking space renovation, and installation of elevators.
Planner: Dong Guoping, Xia Shuangwen
Execution: Ding Yuanzhong, Rao Li, Deng Wei, Li Yuan
Written by: Wang Yanyao, Zhang Xinyi
Video: Jin Kang, Lu Biying, Liu Lan (intern)
Image: Jin Kang, Wu Yingshan