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Butte-Silver Bow staff outline ADA self-evaluation, transition plan; consultant work and phased fixes planned
Summary
ADA coordinator James Ouellette told the council the WT Group is conducting a self-evaluation and transition plan under a July 2024 contract, with a final report due January 2026; the county is funding the work with ARPA and plans phased improvements, staff training and public engagement.
James Ouellette, Butte-Silver Bow ADA coordinator, presented the countyself-evaluation and transition plan update at the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 15, saying the work is a civil-rights compliance effort under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"The ADA was signed, on July 1990. It's a civil rights law," Ouellette said, adding that Title II covers state and local governments and that failure-to-comply remedies are typically court-driven. Ouellette explained the county issued an RFP in March 2024 and contracted with the WT Group on July 1, 2024 to conduct a comprehensive evaluation because the consultant has engineers, GIS specialists and architects needed for the scope of work.
Why it matters: Many grant programs and federal funding sources require an up-to-date ADA transition plan. The county said the plan reduces litigation risk, helps secure grant funding and improves access for people with disabilities and older residents.
Ouellette said the consultant completed all physical-site inspections over the summer and is about 40% through public right-of-way assessments and about 50% through site evaluation reports. The final report and full transition plan will be presented to the council in January 2026. The plan will identify noncompliant policies, recommended corrections, cost estimates and phased priorities for implementation.
Ouellette described three primary factors WT Group uses to set priorities: whether a site was originally designed to meet standards, whether construction met standards, and whether ongoing maintenance preserved accessibility. He said priorities also consider ease of correction, high-use sites (for example, the civic center where voting occurs), historic or repurposed sites and technical feasibility. He noted some constraints in Uptown Butte where steep grades may make full compliance physically infeasible but said the consultant will seek the closest technically feasible solution.
Ouellette highlighted specific, near-term fixes the county has already addressed: repositioning signage at the animal shelter and moving a boulder at Father Sheehan Park after those issues were identified during inspections. He also said some cross-slope problems were identified at the Civic Center and that the library lacks a fully accessible stall in a restroom.
Funding and training: Ouellette said the commission previously approved ARPA funding to cover the contract and related work. The consultant will provide six staff trainings and the plan will include a phased project schedule and cost estimates.
Action taken: Commissioners placed communication 25-16 (the ADA self-evaluation and transition plan update) on file following Ouellettepresentation. Commissioner Thatcher moved to place the communication on file; the motion was made and seconded and recorded as passed at the meeting.
Ending: Ouellette said his office remains available to commissioners and the public for follow-up and that the project remains on schedule for the January 2026 final report.
