South Norwalk door openers finished; concert hall restrooms and service-counter upgrades move toward bids

The Norwalk ADA Transition Committee received project updates April 1 showing recent progress on accessibility work along with unresolved design and scheduling questions.

Bill Nadek, the ADA coordinator, said two new door openers were installed at the garage entrance for the South Norwalk railroad and are working. He noted the installer will schedule a service call for the new senior-center bathroom door opener, and that the railroad door project came in under budget.

Nadek said the concert hall restroom renovation is out to bid with an anticipated start in June and a goal to finish before schools want to use the hall in August, but cautioned that asbestos abatement and supply-chain delays could prolong the schedule. The committee also reviewed preliminary drawings for $300,000 in service-counter upgrades for multiple departments (tax collector, assessor, town clerk, registrar, community services and security), and discussed options for a closed security booth, bullet-resistant or bullet-resistant glass and whether to enlarge the guard area to permit safe lines of sight.

Members noted the trade-offs between added security and public access—debate over turnstiles, sign-in procedures or adding a second security guard is unresolved and the mayor’s office and police have been involved in the discussion. Nadek said final decisions on the security booth have been delayed while security concerns are reviewed.

The committee did not vote on project design at the meeting; Nadek said he will proceed with bids where drawings are approved and will report back on bid results and any schedule revisions at the June meeting.