Gardner officials seek elevator repairs and seating changes to improve access to council chamber
Summary
Commission discussed making council-chamber seating accessible and reported prolonged elevator failures in city hall; staff said parts are hard to source for the building’s old elevator and that they are collecting quotes for replacement or a new service contract.
Commission members recommended changes to seating in the council chamber to create wheelchair-accessible space, following a request from the city council. Commissioners suggested removing one row of seating and asked staff to measure and confirm minimum clearances required for one or two wheelchairs.
The meeting also highlighted a prolonged elevator problem in city hall. Unidentified Speaker (S4) detailed that a mechanism failed and said, “The elevator is so old that they no longer make the part that needs to be replaced.” Staff reported delays sourcing parts, said they are obtaining quotes to update the entire elevator and looking for new service providers to reduce the chance of repeated outages.
Because the elevator is out of service at times, staff discussed interim arrangements for people who need accessible access to meetings, including unlocking a secondary back door and using an auditorium with a live screen. Unidentified Speaker (S4) said staff could “arrange a screen to be in the auditorium so people can do it live.”
No formal vote was taken; staff will continue to collect quotes for elevator repair or replacement, measure seating options in the council chamber, and coordinate interim accommodations for public meetings.
