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Resident urges action on ADA deficiencies; committee to prioritize safety fixes
Summary
An ADA committee report recommended triage and immediate safety fixes; a public commenter warned the town that holding meetings in the current municipal building may violate the law and urged temporary retrofits or alternate meeting locations.
The Select Board heard an ADA committee update and a forceful public comment urging faster action to address accessibility deficiencies in the town’s municipal building.
Dan, representing the ADA committee, told the board the committee would triage ADA issues and focus first on immediate safety concerns such as parking and accessible routes. He said the group aims to survey ADA needs across town and seek low‑cost or pro bono assistance where possible. "We decided to triage to focus most of our efforts on safety concerns," Dan said, and identified parking access near the meeting building as a principal liability point.
A resident in the public comment period sharply challenged the board’s pace and location of meetings, saying the current meeting space is not ADA‑compliant and warning of legal risk. The resident said the town is "breaking the law" when it holds meetings in the present building and urged the board to create a legally usable temporary meeting area or retrofit the basement so municipal business can lawfully continue.
Board members responded that they are in the early stages of understanding compliance needs and that the committee and staff are working on prioritized fixes. Selectboard members said they would meet with the committee and follow up on ramp and parking changes; one member noted a short‑term parking fix could be completed at no cost.
The ADA committee expects to meet again in about a week to continue planning; the board indicated staff and committee follow‑up and further review would be scheduled.
