Roselle reviews CMAP‑funded ADA transition plan that prioritizes 16 pedestrian routes

The Village of Roselle received a final draft of an Americans with Disabilities Act transition plan on Oct. 27, a consultant said, after a 14‑month evaluation funded by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).

Don Kostelec, a consultant working with the village, told the board the effort measured roughly 2,000 curb ramps and about 150 miles of sidewalk, collected about 80 resident survey responses and identified 16 routes for prioritized improvements. The consultant said the eastern and northern sections of the village—older areas with higher concentrations of residents reporting disabilities—showed the greatest concentrations of accessibility problems.

Why it matters: The plan links sidewalk and curb‑ramp upgrades to the village’s planned resurfacing schedule so improvements can be coordinated and implemented sooner. The work is presented as a multi‑year program with tiered priorities; staff said tier‑1 projects were selected where resurfacing is already planned in the five‑ to seven‑year capital horizon.

The report recommends the village adopt ongoing procedures: an ADA coordinator and grievance procedure (already adopted in December), an annual progress report, a public submission tool for accessibility concerns, and training for public‑works staff. Kostelec said Roselle’s sidewalk system is in relatively good condition compared with many communities, and that many required fixes will be incremental (curb ramps, short sidewalk repairs) rather than wholesale reconstruction.

Board next steps: Assistant Village Administrator Brian Jonas told trustees staff will finalize the full draft and return it for formal adoption after creating an online intake/reporting workflow and procedures for annual reporting. Jonas said the village will use the plan when applying for grants and when coordinating with outside agencies (for example IDOT projects) where Roselle cannot unilaterally change conditions.

What the plan recommends: The draft identifies 16 routes as initial priorities, ties many of the recommended repairs to upcoming resurfacing work to reduce cost, calls for programmatic actions (work‑zone standards, snow‑management practices, training) and recommends periodic reassessment (about once a decade) to reflect infrastructure aging and new priorities.

Quotable: "If you were to go out tomorrow and fix everything, it would cost X, but real life will change priorities," Kostelec said, urging annual updates. "Roselle is in a good position compared with many places we work."