Wyoming City’s Elevator Breakdown Causing Headaches

The failure of the main hydraulic jack for a freight elevator is causing headaches for the city of Casper, Wyoming, Oil City News reported on September 29. TK Elevator (TKE), called in to repair the elevator, told city officials in January that repairing the jack would cost about US$95,000. However, after work began in July, the TKE crew discovered that the ground had shifted and a new jack hole would need to be drilled, at a cost of a little more than US$183,000, by a Colorado-based company. City officials tried to find an alternate, cheaper drilling service, but the Colorado company was the only driller in the region that could handle the job. An option would be to replace the hydraulic freight elevator with a traction elevator, but city leaders were told that could cost as much as US$750,000. After weighing several options, the city council was leaning toward hiring the driller. The elevator, in the city’s Ford Wyoming Center, is used to help set up for shows, such as concerts.