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Abilene staff named ADA coordinator; city to begin self-evaluation and transition plan
Summary
Leslie, identified in the meeting as the city's ADA coordinator, told the advisory board the city is under contract with Cole and Associates to begin an accessibility self-evaluation and later a transition plan overseen by TxDOT; the work is expected to be multi-year and largely unfunded.
Leslie, the city official who addressed the board during the meeting, said she has been named the ADA coordinator for the City of Abilene and that municipalities are required to conduct an accessibility self-evaluation and transition plan. "I have now been named the ADA coordinator for the city of Abilene," Leslie said, describing the requirement as a federal/state mandate overseen at the state level by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Leslie told the board the city is already under contract with a consultant (identified in the meeting as Cole and Associates) to develop a comprehensive accessibility plan. She said the immediate phase is a self-evaluation to establish a baseline of sidewalks, buildings and stops, followed by a longer-term transition plan; she warned the work will likely be ongoing for many years and that initial funding requests have been made through the budget process. Board members discussed ways to involve the disability community in the planning and asked staff to provide opportunities for public input as drafts of the plan are prepared.
Leslie said portions of the plan — including inventories of sidewalks, buildings and bus stops — would be available for the board to review and comment on as the consultant and TxDOT move the project forward. The board requested that staff consider outreach strategies to ensure participation from people with a range of disabilities.
