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Resident asks Westfield to install curb ramp at Trinity Gardens; town says ADA grades and property limits complicate work
Summary
A Westfield resident asked the council to install a curb ramp at the Trinity Gardens condominium, but town engineers said state ADA grade requirements and property limits make a direct ramp infeasible without taking condo land and creating drainage problems.
A Westfield resident asked the Town Council on Tuesday to install a permanent curb ramp outside Trinity Gardens condominium to make his unit independently accessible. Town staff told the council the requested ramp is not feasible without significant engineering work and property changes.
Leonard Silverman told the council he has requested access for more than a year and must walk roughly 150 feet from his building to the street where his car can stop. “Can someone on this council say that they can go break ground and put in a small ramp in front of this condominium, so he can live a dignified independent life?” Silverman asked.
Rob Friedman, a friend and frequent caregiver, described repeated delays and urged the town to act. Town Administrator Jim Gilbreath said the town studied the location after the street paving contract was awarded; First Street was part of the paving contract and engineer review was timed with that capital work.
Gilbreath said engineers concluded a compliant ramp—built to the grades required by state ADA statutes—could not be installed at the condo entrance without taking a portion of condo property, creating a long sidewalk run and causing drainage complications. He said the town instead adjusted an on‑street handicap parking space to place it closer to an existing ADA‑compliant ramp and moved the signage; the council adopted an ordinance earlier in the meeting that formalized the adjusted spot.
Gilbreath also said property owners (the Trinity Gardens condominium association) may install a railing on the sidewalk where they maintain it; the town said it cannot install a private railing on the condo property for liability reasons. He invited Silverman, a neighbor and an engineer to meet on‑site with town staff and the condominium board to discuss alternatives.
At the meeting Council members and staff emphasized two points: the town coordinates ramp and curb work with larger paving projects to avoid redoing infrastructure, and ADA‑compliant slopes are governed by state requirements that can limit where ramps are feasible without additional property changes. The meeting record shows the council moved earlier to shift the First Street handicap space and that the town had already paved and restriped before finalizing the formal ordinance action.
No immediate construction of a curb ramp by the town was authorized at the meeting. Staff offered on‑site review with condo representatives and said the Trinity Gardens board could install a railing at the homeowner association’s expense if they choose to do so.
