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Select Board reviews ADA self-evaluation; town eligible for MOD grants up to $250,000
Summary
Consultant KMA presented Concord's ADA self-evaluation and transition plan, finding minor accessibility deficiencies and recommending programmatic changes; the plan makes the town eligible to apply for state MOD grants for accessibility projects.
The Select Board received the town's ADA self-evaluation and transition plan, a five-month audit of facilities and programs carried out by KMA.
"We started the project in February and finalized the project in June," said Emmanuelle Andrade, associate principal at KMA, summarizing the review of 15 facilities, digital accessibility and staff interviews. The firm reported the town demonstrates strong structural commitment to accessibility (a full-time ADA coordinator, a long-standing disability commission and public notices) and found mostly "minor deficiencies" such as incorrectly signed or slightly steep accessible parking spaces, counters that are high, and sidewalks with pitch issues.
KMA recommended two categories of actions: programmatic changes (training frontline staff, accessible event protocols, vendor and contract language, a centralized accessibility web page) and physical fixes (parking signage, ramp adjustments, bathroom alterations). Andrade noted the report includes facility-level cost estimates and images to support a phased implementation.
Assistant Town Manager Jess Porter said the plan was overdue (the last update was in 2005) and that the commission on disability will work through prioritized items. Completing the self-evaluation and transition plan makes Concord eligible to apply for MOD project grants in the next funding round; Andrade said towns that complete the study can compete for up to $250,000 per project and that $6 million is available statewide.
The board asked about sequencing and budgeting. Staff said small-dollar items could be covered from existing facility improvement funds and that larger projects would be folded into the 10-year capital plan and pursued through grant applications or capital requests to town meeting. The commission and ADA coordinator will report regularly on implementation.
