Worcester accessibility commission presses Polar Park for evacuation plan, clearer security contact and accessibility fixes

The Worcester City Accessibility Advisory Commission on July 15 pressed Polar Park management to provide overdue accessibility documents, explain delays to promised fixes and supply clearer ways to contact security during events.

At the meeting, Patricia (staff member) said she had followed up with Polar Park and expected a copy of the ballpark’s evacuation plan but had not received it. “I’m really not understanding why we haven’t gotten that,” she said, adding that Polar Park staff told the commission they had submitted materials to Major League Baseball and state reviewers.

Commission members said the absence of a publicly available evacuation plan and uncertainty about in-venue security communications pose practical risks for patrons with disabilities. Kate McGrath (commission member) asked whether a posted phone number for security is a reliable way for patrons to reach help in an emergency, noting she had not been able to save the number quickly when it appeared on the stadium screens. “If there’s a real emergency, what is the likelihood that someone will know that phone number by heart?” she said.

The commission discussed a list of eight items that Polar Park provided to the commission at a prior walk-through. Patricia read the list back to members, citing the park’s responses on items including an evacuation plan, mock-ups for emergency announcements, elevator announcement work, and a problematic surface area the commission refers to as the “blue box.” She said Polar Park indicated the elevator announcement capability had been renegotiated in an elevator contract and that announcements similar to those in City Hall would be possible, though a start date was not provided.

Members said the “blue box” mobility-access area remains unresolved. Patricia reported prior suggestions — including building a raised deck — were not feasible under building codes and might worsen access at the edges. She said Polar Park named a facilities lead, “Bob Malone,” as the person overseeing repairs, including filling gaps in concrete and fixing joint issues.

Commission members also discussed Polar Park’s security contact process. Patricia said the park’s security text line is intended to be monitored 24/7 and that on non-game days security calls are handled by staff on duty. Commissioners questioned whether relying on a posted phone number and occasional concierge assistance would adequately identify and assist people who communicate or receive information in different ways. “How do you identify everyone and how do you communicate with everyone if everybody doesn’t communicate the same way?” the chair, Robert Biro, said.

Members suggested Polar Park provide the commission a prioritized, dated plan showing which items will be fixed first and a timeline for completion. Some members expressed frustration that issues raised years earlier remain unresolved and urged the commission to push for either a concrete schedule or a formal plan explaining constraints and cost estimates.

No formal action or vote occurred on Polar Park at the meeting; commissioners agreed to ask staff to follow up with Polar Park and request the written evacuation plan and a timeline for repairs.

The commission also discussed signage and combined visual/aural communications to serve people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have mobility impairments. A member from the audience reminded commissioners to use person-centered language, asking that commissioners use “deaf and hard of hearing” instead of “hearing impaired.”

The commission asked staff to email Polar Park again and to seek clarification about which items on Polar Park’s list have been submitted to state or league reviewers and which remain outstanding. The commission did not set a further formal deadline at the meeting but directed staff to press for the evacuation plan and a prioritized repair schedule.

Ending: The commission will continue follow-up with Polar Park; staff were directed to re-request the evacuation plan and to ask for a prioritized timeline for addressing accessibility items so the commission can monitor progress.