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Abilene advisory board weighs special-events accessibility checklist after resident warns sidewalks are blocked
Summary
Board members and residents discussed making city events more accessible—suggestions included an emergency contact table, ADA viewing areas, power for wheelchairs, ADA porta-potties and better signage—after a resident urged action on blocked sidewalks that push pedestrians into the street.
Resident Scott Gadbury, who said he lives in the Cimarron Meadows subdivision, told the Mayor’s Advisory Board that parked cars routinely block sidewalks in his neighborhood and force children, parents with strollers and people using mobility devices into the street. "I don't wanna get hit again," Gadbury said, urging the board to seek clearer enforcement and neighborhood outreach.
Gadbury said he had sought help from the police department and code enforcement and received inconsistent responses: he reported the police told him it was not illegal to park over a driveway, while code enforcement told him parking that blocks a right of way is not allowed. The board identified this enforcement discrepancy as a topic for follow-up and Leslie Andrews urged members to share additional details so the board could invite relevant city staff to a future meeting.
The board then discussed a proposed special-events accessibility checklist prompted by accessibility problems at the Christmas parade. Leslie Andrews described the checklist as a non-mandatory reference the special-events office would include in event planning materials: "It's just a checklist, and it would be something that we would hand out to special events or email to special events," she said.
Board members suggested practical items for the checklist: a designated ADA viewing block with clear signage, at least one ADA-accessible portable toilet in the viewing block, closer food-truck placement for people using wheelchairs, a visible emergency contact/information table with power hookups for mobility devices, and marked quiet areas for attendees who may need them. One member who works in the event industry proposed identifying a single sanctioned block as an "ADA area" and using A-frame signs to label it.
Members agreed to solicit further checklist suggestions by February so Leslie Andrews could prepare the draft for the March 10 agenda, and the board discussed inviting police or code enforcement staff to explain neighborhood sidewalk enforcement. The meeting also noted an open board seat created by the death of Robert Marshall and solicited possible nominees; a resident recommended Heidi Wachol (also spelled Watchel in the transcript) as a potential candidate.
The board did not adopt a mandatory policy at the meeting; members asked staff to return with a drafted checklist and any relevant guidance from police or code enforcement so the board could refine recommendations.
