Clark County details ADA self-evaluation and opens public survey; reports to include barrier inventories and cost estimates

Michael Chow, a landscape architect and parks and trails planner for Clark County Parks and Nature, presented the county’s Americans with Disabilities Act self-evaluation and described the transition plan process, saying the county and consultant MIG have nearly finished site assessments and will produce individual park reports.

“The ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal civil rights law passed in 1990 to make sure people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else,” Chow said, explaining the legal basis for the county’s effort and why parks must be accessible.

Chow said the transition plan will inventory physical and programmatic barriers across the park system, apply a prioritization rubric and set timelines for barrier removal. He described reports that MIG will deliver for each park that list park type and surface materials, summarize common barriers and offer remediation suggestions. “Each barrier listed will show what kind of barrier was encountered, suggest how it can be removed, and also provide an estimated price for removal,” he said.

The project includes two phases of public involvement. Phase 1 is a public survey that Chow said is open now and will close on March 6; phase 2 will solicit feedback on a draft plan before county council consideration and adoption. Chow said county staff will use survey input and the site-assessment reports to evaluate parks internally and lay out a timeline for barrier removal.

Chow identified MIG as an interdisciplinary firm assisting the county; the transcript did not provide a longer company name or contract details. He said site assessments are nearly complete and that staff will present the draft plan for public review prior to council action. The meeting included an offer from staff to help attendees complete the digital survey at the site because no paper surveys were available.

The next procedural steps are finalizing site-assessment reports, completing the draft transition plan, conducting a public review period, and then submitting the plan to the county council for adoption. Funding sources and specific budget amounts for barrier removal were not specified in the presentation.