Santa Fe staff update ADA transition plans; aim to publish facility assessments within a year

Daniel Lopez, equity and ADA manager, presented updates on Santa Fe’s ADA transition planning to the Public Works and Utilities Committee on Feb. 3, outlining building-by-building assessments and work to make programs and communications accessible.

Lopez said the Department of Justice priorities guide the order of work inside facilities, starting with approach and entrance, then goods and services, restrooms and public elements. “what's required for compliance is that we remove architectural barriers,” he said.

The presentation reviewed past work — a citywide transition plan and program self-evaluation completed in 2011 and a public-right-of-way assessment and transition plan completed in 2017 — and draft facility reports for City Hall, the main library, the South Branch Library, Water Street parking and multiple community centers. Lopez said the team is also auditing digital access for websites and social media and plans a language access component tied to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Lopez described the inspection approach: exterior site and parking, entrances, main floors and vertical circulation. He said some fixes are minor (signage height, drinking fountain height, door hardware) while other items — uneven brick approaches, failing curb ramps, faded accessible parking markings — will require larger projects. “We have approximately a 150 facilities,” Lopez said, adding he is doing the assessments with support from staff and expects the documentation stage to take about eight months, with draft materials available for public review roughly a year from now.

Committee members pressed on public release, prioritization and costs. Councilor Kelsey Castro urged early transparency: “I recommend that we release information prior to solution, because there's a lot of power that comes from having a plan for a solution,” she said, adding that the public should see both outstanding problems and items already fixed. Director Wheeler said staff are addressing “easy things as we go” and working to align priorities with the Mayor’s Committee on Disabilities. Lopez and Wheeler said staff will produce cost estimates tied to findings and work with the committee to recommend budgets and potential funding sources.

Committee members and staff discussed language accessibility and accommodations for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Several speakers said language access is a high priority for increasing use of city facilities: staff noted plans for captioning, translated materials and a scope of work for consultant support to make governing-body meetings accessible online and in person.

Lopez said the draft reports are works in progress; once finalized they will be published for public comment and the transition plan will be maintained as a live document that records fixes and removal of barriers over time. Committee members encouraged the department to prioritize safety-related fixes and to present budget estimates and recommended priorities to the governing body.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; it moved on to other agenda business after the briefing.