Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident asks Janesville council to restore ADA access at Pawprint dog park
Summary
A Janesville resident told the council on May 27 that recent improvements at Pawprint dog park have made the park harder to use for people with mobility devices and asked the city to commit to making it fully ADA accessible soon.
Meredith Bellinger, a Janesville resident, asked the council on May 27 to make Pawprint Park fully accessible to people using walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters after recent improvements she said left pathways and gates difficult to navigate.
Bellinger, who gave her address as 3734 Ridge Drive, said her father is in a nursing home and that the family can no longer take him to the dog park because entrances and pathways are not accessible. "It's not just a matter of being compliant with the law, it's a matter of fairness, dignity, and community," Bellinger said. She asked that the city commit to restoring or improving access "sometime soon rather than months and months down the road." She said entrances at gates require reaching above head to open them and that pathways are not easily navigable by mobility devices; she also said the park had been accessible before improvements made almost eight months earlier.
During the public‑comment exchange a council member asked whether Bellinger meant Pawprint Park or Palmer Park; Bellinger confirmed she was referring to Pawprint Park. The council did not record any formal motion or vote on the request during the meeting, and no staff response with a timeline was recorded on the transcript.
Bellinger's remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the May 27 meeting; the council did not schedule follow‑up at that time.
