The seven-story Sac Annex has 48 apartments, all of which were rented when the building’s only elevator broke down. Since then the occupants of two of the apartments have moved out, said Ashley O’Toole, who manages the commercial spaces for the Sac Annex. -Cherise Kaechele

The tenants in the seven-story Sac Annex building were dealt a difficult blow in June. A lightning strike on June 26 disabled the La Grande building’s elevator, which has not operated since.

The good news for the building’s tenants is that the Sac Annex’s insurer, Nationwide Insurance, and Otis Elevator Co., which manufactured the building’s elevator and will repair it, have reached a settlement, according to Chris Dunn, the owner of the Sac Annex.

The lightning strike knocked out the elevator’s controller, a computerized device responsible for the coordination of all aspects of the elevator’s operation.

“It is the brains of the elevator,” Dunn said.

He said that repair work may be completed in about two months.

This is hopeful news for the tenants who live on floors 4 to 7 plus those working in business and agency offices on floors 2 and 3, all of whom have had to use the stairs since late June.

Attorney Philip Wasley, who has an office on the second floor, said the absence of the elevator makes it harder for his “less ambulatory” clients to visit him. The loss of the elevator is not posing a personal hardship to Wasley, though. He said he takes the stairs because it “is faster and I like the exercise.”

Robert King, who lives on the fifth floor, is among the tenants who will welcome the return of the elevator. He said that walking up to his apartment after work each day is not getting easier for him.

“The last step is still hard,” King said.

Steven Compitello, like King, will be happy to have the elevator back. Compitello, also a fifth-floor resident, said that having to walk up the stairs aggravates his bad back.

One tenant who doesn’t feel that the loss of the elevator is posing a hardship is Kelsey Collins, a sixth-floor resident.

“I don’t mind at all. (Walking up the stairs) is good exercise,” Collins said.

The Sac Annex has 48 apartments, all of which were being rented when the elevator broke down. Since then the occupants of two of the apartments have moved out, said Ashley O’Toole, who manages the commercial spaces for the Sac Annex.

O’Toole said almost all of the Sac Annex’s tenants are people in their 20s and 30s or members of young families. Less than half a dozen are senior citizens, he said.

O’Toole said the two empty apartments will not be rented out again until the elevator is repaired.

Repair crews will replace the controller and the elevator’s motor. The motor was not damaged by the lightning but is due for an upgrade. The new motor will generate electricity, and some of the power generated will be sold to Oregon Trail Electric, Dunn said.

Dunn said Otis Elevator Co. installed the first elevator in the building more than 80 years ago and has helped maintain an elevator in the Sac Annex since then. The repair and upgrade work will be done by a crew from the Otis Elevator Co., whose regional office is in Spokane, Washington. Dunn said the repair will begin when all the needed parts for the elevator are shipped to La Grande.

Dunn said steps are being taken to accommodate the needs of those inconvenienced by the loss of the elevator. For example, the building’s staff has helped tenants move large loads or items to and from their apartments by operating the elevator manually, a process that requires three people.

“We are doing this on a case-by-case basis,” Dunn said.

O’Toole noted that Bryan Grimshaw, the resident manager of the Sac Annex, has been doing things like helping tenants carry their groceries up the stairs.

O’Toole said he is grateful for the patience residents have shown since the elevator went out.

“It is very much appreciated,” O’Toole said.

Contact Dick Mason at 541-786-5386 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com. Follow Dick on Twitter @lgoMason.