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Resident urges stronger ADA enforcement, cites downtown sidewalks and doors
Summary
During public comment on Nov. 3, Billy Gunderson told the Minot council several recent downtown projects and sidewalks fail to meet ADA accessibility or occupancy standards and asked the city to require third‑party oversight of ADA planning and inspections.
Billy Gunderson addressed the Minot City Council during the public comment period on Nov. 3 to raise concerns about Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance in several downtown projects and sidewalks.
Gunderson said he had repeatedly flagged ADA problems to city staff and at Renaissance Zone meetings, and he pointed to specific examples: sidewalks that do not continue a block, doors at multiple downtown buildings he said do not meet ADA requirements for occupancy, and damaged pedestrian walls and paths. “This sidewalk does not continue to a sidewalk that completes the rest of the block,” Gunderson said as he showed photographs. He urged the council to require a third‑party contractor to oversee ADA planning and inspections.
The commenter also criticized the city for giving facade‑improvement funds to projects with doors that reportedly lack required push‑button ADA access and said recently completed paths had been left with cracks or removed walls. Gunderson said the city is not consistently enforcing ADA requirements and framed the issue as a rights matter: "The city is consistently not enforcing ADA requirements... Rights were secured through long hard battles waged by women and men that made their voices heard."
Council members did not take immediate action on the specific complaints during the meeting; the mayor moved on to other agenda items. Gunderson’s remarks were recorded as part of the meeting record and may be referred to staff for follow up under the city’s public appearance procedures.
