Lake County gov't center scraps costly escalators

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Visitors to the Lake County Government Complex's administration building in Crown Point no longer will be able to count on escalators to save themselves a few steps.

The Times of Munster reported Monday (http://bit.ly/WIFu91 ) that the hundreds of people daily who visit the county assessor, auditor, treasurer, recorder, health department, Plan Commission and several county courtrooms are finding plywood blocking off the ground floor of a three-story atrium that once provided access to escalators.

Ground floor escalators have been closed, and those between the second and third floors soon will be walled off as part of a $1.9 million project to replace the 39-year-old escalators with an elevator and a central staircase.

Board of Commissioners aide Larry Blanchard says the escalators were a high-maintenance item and a potential safety hazard.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com