Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City seeks $450,000 for ADA upgrades including lowered service counters and library accessibility
Summary
Community Services staff requested $450,000 for ADA compliance projects: $300,000 to modify or replace seven public service counters at City Hall and other buildings, and $150,000 to finish several ongoing accessibility projects, including concert-hall restrooms and curb ramps.
Community Services and the city’s ADA team presented a $450,000 capital request for improved public access at city facilities during the March 31 committee hearing.
Anna Vivian, representing ADA compliance, said the bulk of the request — $300,000 — would allow the city to bring seven public service counters into ADA compliance at City Hall and high‑traffic public counters including the town clerk, tax collector, tax assessor, community services desk, security desk, registrar of voters and the building department. ADA staff and building management assessed counters citywide and found only roughly 18% of public facing counters meet the 36‑inch accessibility reach; the $300,000 is an estimate to complete a prioritized set of seven counters.
Bill (identified in the meeting as the part‑time ADA staffer who conducted assessments) told the committee the tax collector’s counter is significantly more expensive to renovate (estimated at $125,000) because it is a bank‑style, security‑glassed fixture that may require wide reconstruction rather than a simple lowered section.
Anna Vivian said the remaining $150,000 would finish partially completed projects: approximately $100,000 to complete renovated restrooms and lobby work at the concert hall (which required more demolition and rebuilding than expected), and $50,000 to complete curb‑ramp and sidewalk grade work on City Hall Drive toward Eversley Avenue.
Why it matters: Committee members asked whether the tax collector counter’s cost could be reduced; Bill and building management said they would seek alternate designs but that security requirements and the existing construction make the current estimate conservative. Council members and staff also discussed moving recurring ADA maintenance into operating budgets over time; city staff said the first year’s costs could be covered from bond premium while the city transitions certain maintenance items to operating budgets.
Ending: ADA and building staff said they will work with architects to refine designs and return with any possible cost savings; the committee took no vote and will consider the request as part of the broader capital review process.
