Boro will pay $85,000 for ADA study

[mark handler]

Boro will pay $85,000 for ADA study

Gettysburg Times

http://www.gburgtimes.com/articles/2010/06/17/news/2674443.txt

BY SCOT ANDREW PITZER

Times Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 11:07 PM EDT

Faced with mounting handicap-accessibility pressures and litigation, Gettysburg Borough Council is moving forward with an ADA transition plan.

The board voted unanimously to hire Lancaster-based ADA consultant H.R. Gray for $85,000, to conduct a borough-wide "transition plan" for curb-cut, intersection and ramp repair.

"We've needed this for quite some time," said Gettysburg Borough Council President John Butterfield. Interim Borough Manager Peter Marshall noted that the $85,000 study is part of a $3.2 million bond that council floated in April to underwrite capital projects.

The borough is named in more than two dozen Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) suits filed in state and federal court, because town infrastructure doesn't comply with federal accessibility laws.

"They're (H.R. Gray) going to be looking at our curb-cuts and ramps, and telling us whether they comply or not," Marshall informed council. "Most of them don't," Marshall added.

The board also OK'd a $30,000 contract with local engineer C.S. Davidson to "assess the condition of all borough streets and curbs, for the purpose of developing a capital program for street repaving and reconstruction."

Marshall said the borough will use the studies as a guide for reconstruction work over the next several years, as the borough aims to comply with federal ADA laws. The borough government and many downtown store owners have been taken to court for violating ADA code, primarily by disabled-rights activist Marilynn Phillips.

 

[peach]

Really OLD communities will have a harder time complying.. newer communities should have been enforcing compliance all along.

Existing buildings only HAVE to make accessibility changes that are technically feasible.. up to 20% of the construction cost, I believe according to ADAAG.

 

[Yankee]

My jurisdiction came under the same scrutiny with basically the same results. We have just finished the long term compliance of the issues identified. There are other issues not identified, but we now know better than to ignore those for long.

 

[peach]

if you're not the property owner.. there really is not issue.. the jurisdiction isn't responsible to enforce ADA..

If it's a public space issue (sidewalks, etc). it probably is the jurisdictions' issue.. not necessarily the BD... probably public works.

 

[Yankee]

Yes, we were cited by the JD for many deficiencies to our public areas and buildings, including such areas as the public docks, beaches, crosswalks, on street parking and many . . . ahhhh , , all of the buildings.

 

[Gene Boecker]

All I can say is it's about time. Under Title II of the ADA, public entities were supposed to come up with this plan over 15 years ago. Few have paid any attention to that provision. You can look at the sidewalk crossings built in the mid to late 1990's and know that they just ignored the whole thing.

The town were I used to live fortunately paid attention and actually moved the municipal offices to a different building because the existing one was so far out of compliance it was ridiculous.

And yes, it affects EVERYTHING that the public touches. The Boro may be getting a deal fro $85K.