Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Norwalk ADA committee faces funding cutbacks as curb-ramp and senior-center projects stall
Loading...
Summary
Members of the Norwalk ADA Transition Committee were told the city removed the committee's requested community-services funding from the mayor's budget, leaving planned curb ramps, a senior-center accessibility ramp and other projects at risk; committee members agreed to write to the city council and ECD to seek restoration.
The Norwalk ADA Transition Committee learned April 1 that funds requested for accessibility projects were removed from the mayor's proposed allocations, leaving several priority projects unfunded for the coming cycle.
Bill Nadek, the city's ADA coordinator, told the committee the community-services line item that had been set at $480,000 as part of a $630,000 package was “totally, zeroed out” after an email went out Friday. The request had included $150,000 for a Norwalk Senior Center ramp, $80,000 for the Benjamin Franklin Community Center and $400,000 staged over two years for work at the Gallaher mansion.
The loss of funding means the committee must narrow priorities. Nadek said the City Hall Drive curb-ramp project’s base bid already exceeded a $100,000 budget and that DPW is recommending a larger contingency (about 20%) because many older sidewalks require full-panel replacement when ramps are adjusted. He described the practical effect of updated standards: “New standards were adopted in 2023 or '24…it's a lot more complicated to build one that meets compliance,” and unit costs per curb ramp have risen from historical estimates near $3,500 to the $10,000–$12,000 range.
Committee members pressed for a short-term advocacy plan. One member who identified themself as a city councilor said they had to recuse from council discussion and was frustrated the request was deprioritized at the Economic and Community Development (ECD) meeting. Members agreed to draft a joint letter to ECD and city council urging restoration of funding for the senior-center ramp and related accessibility priorities; Nadek suggested circulating a Word document and collecting committee signatures before sending.
Nadek said, if only partial funding becomes available, he would prioritize the senior-center ramp because of ongoing courtyard construction and egress concerns; he also flagged the Gallaher mansion’s unfinished public access and urged caution about spending more on the mansion’s non-public floors until the second-floor access (elevator) is resolved. The committee discussed a possible route through a backdoor as a temporary measure but emphasized the safety and egress shortcomings of that option.
The committee did not take formal action on budget allocation at the meeting; members were advised to prepare letters and to use public-comment slots at council or ECD meetings. The committee scheduled its next meeting for June 3.
Minutes: The committee approved the minutes of the previous meeting on a motion moved by Suzanne Genetti and seconded by Amy Franklin; several members recorded abstentions or said they were not present at the prior meeting.
