Resident asks facilities committee to add second wheelchair access at Liberty Curtain entrance

A resident told the Keystone Central facilities committee on Sept. 23 that Liberty Curtain Elementary has a single curb cut ramp at its front entrance and asked staff to evaluate creating a second curb cut nearer the flagpole to improve wheelchair and walker access.

The resident described an incident in which a school bus stalled and blocked the only accessible route, leaving people who use wheelchairs stuck. She said the building otherwise has multiple egress doors that open directly to grade but that the front sidewalk provides only one ramped access point. “If there was an emergency, everybody would have to rush down to that one aspect to get out,” she said.

Committee members discussed that the building’s existing ramp meets ADA compliance but that the district should still consider providing an additional curb cut for redundancy and emergency access. Chris, a district staff member, noted that some other exits drop directly to roadways and that the front curb cut is the only place with a graded ramp connection.

Chair Jeff asked Sam’s crew to review the site and asked staff to invite Jeff from Crabtree (the project designer/contractor was mentioned) to a future facilities meeting or work session to explain design decisions about ramp placement and to determine whether a small concrete notch or additional curb cut is feasible before the end of construction.

Ending: Facilities staff said they will inspect the Liberty Curtain front entrance, coordinate with maintenance crews, and invite the contractor or designer to explain design choices at a future meeting.