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ISD 1 buildings supervisor says Rippleside is inaccessible, asks voters to consider April referendum
Summary
Steve Snyder, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor for ISD 1 (Aitkin Public School District), told the meeting that wheelchair lifts, bathrooms and some doorways at the Rippleside building do not meet ADA standards, that asbestos-containing tile remains in an early child care room, and that the district is asking residents to consider a three-question referendum in April to address these issues.
Steve Snyder, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor for ISD 1 (Aitkin Public School District), told attendees the district’s Rippleside building has multiple accessibility and safety problems and asked residents to consider a three-question referendum this April to address them.
"The wheelchair lifts are old, regularly require repairs, and don't provide enough space for wheelchairs and the dedicated caregivers who assist with wheelchair users," Snyder said, describing a recurring operational constraint for students who rely on mobility devices. He said the lack of usable lifts forces staff to rely on temporary fixes and frequent repairs.
Snyder said the district lacks accessible entry points on the south side of the Rippleside building, forcing people with accommodation needs to travel to other parts of the facility. "We don't have accessibility features on the south side of the Rippleside building, forcing anyone with accommodation needs to traverse to the other parts of the building," he said. He added that many bathrooms and some doorways are not ADA accessible.
On building health hazards, Snyder said, "We still have asbestos containing tile on the flooring, including in our early child care room." He said the district inspects the flooring regularly to ensure tiles are not coming loose and that removing the material would require "a special professional team" to do the work.
Snyder also described how special-education spaces have required ad hoc modifications to meet fire and accessibility safety while still providing divided spaces for students with specific needs. "In our special education space, we have had to do numerous workarounds to ensure compliance for fire and accessibility safety while providing the divided spaces our students need," he said.
Explaining the district’s proposal, Snyder said a new building would integrate safety and accessibility into its design so the district can meet modern code and accommodation standards. "That is why the district is asking residents to consider a three-question referendum this April to help make sure we can meet the needs of our all our students in our district," he said. The transcript does not specify the referendum questions, projected cost, or the ballot language.
No formal vote or motion on the referendum was recorded in the provided transcript segment. The statement functioned as a district presentation to inform the public about facility conditions and the district's plan to seek voter approval for funding.
Next steps: Snyder asked residents to consider the referendum in April; the transcript does not record further discussion, detailed funding numbers, or a timeline for any remediation work.
