12 out of 20 elevators have already been imported, residents will pay for them over 20-25 years

The Yerevan municipality has begun the process of replacing the elevators in apartment buildings with new ones. As part of a pilot program, elevators will be installed in 20 apartment buildings across 10 administrative districts. Yerevan Mayor’s spokesperson Hakob Karapetyan informed that the tenders have already been held, contracts signed, and the supply of elevators has commenced. Out of the 20 planned elevators, 12 have already been imported, with 8 more on the way.

Approximately 3,500 elevators in the capital are due for replacement. The replacement of elevators requires the consent of the apartment owners. Hakob Karapetyan stated that there is already consent for these 20 elevators. “The municipality has developed a model that, according to our preliminary assessment, will allow for the replacement of elevators without placing a significant financial burden on the household budgets of residents. Since elevators are jointly owned, any solution must reflect the residents' wishes. There can be no imposition here,” he noted.

In participating in the program, the amount that residents will pay for their elevators will increase by about 30 percent. This means if currently each apartment contributes about 1,600 drams for the maintenance of the old elevators, they will pay around 2,000 drams for the new and safe elevators.

The technical specifications of the elevators underscore their inclusivity: they will be equipped with easily readable buttons for visually impaired individuals, an audio signaling system, and the buttons will be installed at appropriate heights for wheelchair users to access them.

Each elevator will cost at least 10 million drams. Speaking about the overall funds necessary for the elevator replacements, which will be needed until residents offset this cost, Karapetyan noted that it involves support from the government as well as attracting additional resources, whether through borrowed or credited funds and grants. The reimbursement of funds spent for the elevator replacements is projected over a period of about 20-25 years. According to the municipality, this distribution will cover the 30% increase in maintenance fees paid by citizens under the current situation.

The remaining part could potentially be covered through decreased electricity costs for the new elevators as well as reduced maintenance fees. Additionally, the municipality plans to install solar systems on the roofs of 90 buildings in the capital, which will also save electricity and contribute to cost reductions.

The Hraparak newspaper inquired with the Yerevan municipality about a hypothetical situation where a multi-apartment building houses 20 families, but over several years only 10 remain; how will that funding be redistributed and is there a possibility that, in such a case, a resident would end up paying much more than the anticipated 30 percent increase to use the elevator? The mayor's spokesperson excluded this possibility, stating, “all risks have been assessed.”

About 70% of Yerevan’s elevators are over 40 years old, although they should have been replaced 25 years after their commissioning. Regarding the selection principle of the 20 apartment buildings whose elevators will be renovated first, the municipality previously clarified that the selection took into account the wear of the elevators, frequency of malfunctions, condition of the shafts, degree of wear of the cabins, and several other criteria established by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The list of the first 20 multi-apartment buildings was previously announced: In the Avan administrative district - 44 Acharian St., 3/1 Ishakyan St., in the Ajapnyak administrative district - 36 Shirazi St., 2nd entrance, 15/2 Builders St., 2nd entrance, in the Arabkir administrative district - 97 Hambardzumyan St., 1st entrance, 6 H. Emin St., in the Davtashen administrative district - 20 4th Davitashen St., 3 1st Davitashen St., in the Erebuni administrative district - 31 Khaghagh Doni St., 11th entrance, 1 Khaghagh Doni St., 12th entrance, in the Kentron administrative district - 38 Saryan St., 36 Saryan St., in the Malatia-Sebastia administrative district - 20 Andranik St., 22 Andranik St., in the Nor Nork administrative district - 2 D. Malyan St., 2nd entrance, 41 Gay St., in the Shengavit administrative district - 63/1 Araratyan St., 1st entrance, 27/1 G. Nzhdeh St., 1st entrance, in the Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district - 4 Drosi St., 4th entrance, 1 Tblisi highway.

Before the full project kicks off, the Yerevan municipality plans to replace another 100 life-threatening elevators in 2020, with funds to be allocated from next year's budget.