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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDisMinutes_2009_03_271 Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities March 27, 2009 A meeting of the Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities was held at 2:00p.m. on Friday, March 27, 2009 in the Brookings City Hall with the following members present: Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Dave Bertelson, Dave Miller, Jeff Vostad, Dona Kornbaum, and Alan Davis. Absent: Kurt Cogswell, Kim Wells, Lisa Sonnenburg, Lonnie Bayer, and Jessie Kuechenmeister. Chair Dave Miller called the meeting to order. The next meeting of the committee was scheduled for Friday, April 17, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. An update on the Post Office accessibility was added to the agenda. The February minutes were approved. New Business CITY BIKE TRAIL PLAN REVIEW. Steve Rames from Banner and Allyn Frerichs were present to review the proposed City Bike Trail expansion plans. Frerichs said the project will be let for bid very shortly. The trail will be extended under I-29 and will loop back by the overpass and connect to the SDSU campus. Items of note: • It will connect north of DM&E and go north under I-29. Retaining wall structures will be used to wrap around the bridge berm. • The area around Alltech is wetland, so the surface of the path will be a boardwalk. • One area on the current plan has a 5.77% grade; however, the designers plan to lower it below 5%. • The trail will follow the wetlands until it connects to Highway 14. It will follow the right-of- way and cross LeFevre Drive. A crosswalk and pedestrian crossing will be installed. • The trail will cross Highway 14 on the west side of 32nd Avenue. There isn’t currently a signal at that crossing so a pedestrian lane will be striped. When a signal is installed the crossing will have a pedestrian button. A signal is scheduled for 2010. • The trail will follow 32nd Avenue north. Curb and gutter located on Capital Street (in the Wiese Addition) will be removed to install an accessible crossing. • The trail is 3 ½ miles. It will end at McCrory Gardens. It loops at the Arboretum and connects to 11th Street on the north. • The entire path is 8 feet wide and there is also a 5 foot boulevard the majority of the way. • The surface, with the exception of the wetlands area, will be either asphalt or concrete. • The boardwalk material hasn’t been decided but they’ve discussed treated lumber and a man-made composite. The walk will be 10 feet crossing the railroad with railings. • The gaps in the boards will be ½ inches. The Committee asked if the material is slip resistant. 2 A subcommittee of Miller, Davis, Bertelson, Kornbaum and Thornes will meet with the project designer to review the plans. Updates: PLAN REVISIONS REVIEW INVITE - SOUTH DAKOTA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM. The Committee received an invitation to review the revised Museum plans for accessibility compliance. A subcommittee of Miller, Kuechenmeister, Hartenhoff-Crooks, Cogswell and Thornes will meet with Museum representatives on April 3rd at 9:00 a.m. 2009 DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT DRIVE. Cogswell provided Vostad & Miller with all the information from the 2007 event and they are ready to go. The dates of the drive will be from June 15 to June 26. SDSU FROST ARENA. Bayer brought up accessibility concerns regarding this facility at the last meeting. There was discussion about waiting until a new athletic director was hired. BARRIER AWARENESS PROJECT / WRAP-UP REPORT. The events was held on March 5th at Central, March 9th at Medary and March 12th at Hillcrest. Kornbaum noted that there’s a new principal at Hillcrest who wasn’t familiar with the program. She reported that the event went very well and FCCLA and their advisor really desire some special recognition. She suggested a letter from the mayor. REVISIONS TO ACCESSIBLE PARKING REQUIREMENTS BROCHURE. Miller noted that additional revisions were made to the brochure at the suggestion of various reviewers. The last step will be local pictures. Wells has volunteered to take the pictures. Davis noted that Wells is in the National Guard and was activated for the Fargo flooding emergency. POST OFFICE. Miller reported that the Access Board, a federal advocacy group, would be willing to investigate this issue. He has contact information for a specific person at the Board and will prepare a letter. He noted that accessibility complaint cases filed with the Board are only crossed off after a correction is made. TRANSPORTATION BOARD REPORT. Hartenhoff-Crooks commented that the Board spent a lot of time at their March 17th meeting discussing bike trails and the safe routes to school program. She is serving on a subcommittee reviewing service routes in the community and how those meet the needs of people with disabilities. City ADA Coordinator’s Report. SDSU WELLNESS CENTER. Thornes reviewed the attached report in detail. The Committee did not make any changes or corrections. The next step will be to meet with the City Manager and then SDSU Officials to discuss corrections. ADA Compliance Review: SDSU Wellness Center Dates: February 2, 2009, February 20, 2009, March 1, 2009, March 3, 2009 3 Reviewers: • Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities Members: Dave Miller, Chair; Jessie Kuechenmeister, Vice Chair; Kurt Cogswell, Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Dona Kornbaum • Rob Gilkerson, Rocky Mountain ADA Center • Ryan Green, Paralyzed Veterans of America • Shari Thornes, City ADA Compliance Officer Accessible Approach/Entrance:  South Side: o No concerns - all routes meet requirements  North Side: o Curb ramp connecting primary path of travel from building to parking lot did not have truncated dome entering into the parking lot. o Ramp from building’s north primary entrance to the parking lot and sidewalk measured 66’ in length with a 5.2% slope with no resting area. Anything over 5% is considered a ramp in ADAAG and would need a level resting space every 30ft, and handrails on each side. The difference is very slight, not enough in our opinion to warrant an alteration; however, this should be brought to the contractor/architect’s attention. Parking & Drop-Off Areas:  South Side: No adjacent parking or drop-off areas are located in front of the facility. The closed accessible spaces are 3 curbside van spaces along the drive near the Union.  North Side: o Primary parking for facility located on north side and accessible parking spaces are adjacent to ramp connecting to building. o Total number of spaces in lot needed to determine required accessible spots. o There are 4 van spaces 9’ wide with a 9’ shared access aisle. All are marked with vertical post signage.  CORRECTION: At the time of the second review (2/20/09), cars were parked in both access aisles and none of the 4 spaces could utilize the aisles for unloading. This is an enforcement issue for the University police department. Entrance:  South Side o Automatic door openers are provided for both sets of doors and meet timing, placement, signage requirements. o Door widths are 34” and are compliant.  North Side o Automatic door openers are provided for both sets of doors and meet timing, placement, signage requirements. o Door widths are 34” and are compliant. Horizontal Circulation – Access to Services – Rooms & Spaces • General traffic areas of good with an accessible route of travel of 36” wide & turning spaces. • CORRECTION: Several pieces of exercise equipment did not have adequate clear floor space needed to utilize the equipment. In order to meet ADA program access requirements, the Accessibility Guidelines for Recreation Facilities states the following guidance: “At least one of each type of exercise equipment or machine must have clear floor space of at least 30” x 48” inches and be served by an accessible route. If the clear floor space is enclosed on three sides (e.g., by walls or the equipment itself), the clear space must be at least 36” x 48”. o Solution Option: Identify all types of equipment and rearrange equipment to provide clear floor space to one of each type (at minimum). Doors 4 • CORRECTION: Several interior doors throughout the building were too heavy exceeding the maximum 5 lbf allowed. o Solution Options:  Adjust or replace closers  Install lighter doors  Install power-assisted or automated door openers Signage – Met requirements. Seats, Tables & Counters: • Food Court Area – met requirements. • Pharmacy: o CORRECTION: All cashier counters in pharmacy area were too high @ 37 1/2”.  Solution: Lower one of the two to 28-36” in height (see 7.2 of ADA Standards). • Primary Check-in Counter for Center: o CORRECTION: The check-in counter for the Center has a lowered area but is not used by staff. The card swipe for members is out of reach and no computers are located near the accessible counter.  Solution options: • Install signage at east end of counter indicating accessible location. Install card swipe and computer to provide equal services to PWD at the accessible counter. • Or, cut in and install new lowered counter on east end where all other members check-in. Vertical Circulation (stairs, elevator, ramps): • Elevator – met requirements • Stairway to second floor - met requirements • CORRECTION: Ramp to courts didn’t have required 12” handrail extensions and didn’t have 5’ resting area midway. On the ramp down to the basketball courts there isn’t a handrail on both sides. The only situation where a handrail wouldn’t need to be mounted on the post would be if the post was centered in the middle of the landing and not more than 12 wide. FYI: Handrails are required on both sides of a ramp and must extend 12” into the level landing. o Solution options: Install handrail extensions. No solution option for resting area. Restrooms (single, family, locker-style) • Clinic area: o CORRECTION: The lab/exam bathroom had an obstruction that interfered with clear floor space.  Solution: Remove piece of furniture currently used for storage and install wall mounted shelf in same place • Throughout the facility: o CORRECTION: Most of the dispensers (soap, towel, dryers) were mounted too high in every bathroom. Maximum height for forward reach is 48” and 54” for side reach.  Solution: Conduct a room by room survey of these amenities and lower at least one of each type in each location to comply with standards. Shower/Locker Facilities: • First Floor Locker Rooms: o CORRECTION: Men’s and women’s locker rooms on this level did not have a compliant accessible bench. 4.35.4 Bench. Every accessible dressing room shall have a 24 in by 48 in (610 mm by 1220 mm) bench fixed to the wall along the longer dimension. The bench shall be mounted 17 in to 19 in (430 mm to 485 mm) above the finish floor. Clear floor space shall be provided alongside the bench to allow a person using a wheelchair to make a parallel transfer onto the bench. The structural strength of the bench and attachments shall comply with 4.26.3. Where installed in conjunction with showers, swimming pools, or other wet locations, water shall not accumulate upon the surface of the bench and the bench shall have a slip-resistant surface. 5  Solution: Install one accessible bench using the same design that was used in second floor pool locker rooms, which are compliant. o NOTE: Transfer shower stall dimensions must be exactly 36” by 36” and both were smaller due to construction variance in final finishing/tile installation. Recommend the University bring this issue to the architects’ and contractors’ attention and make note for future projects. o CORRECTION: Shower controls in the transfer showers were inoperable for anyone seated on bench. Controls were mounted to vertical grab bar and exceeded forward reach ranges of 48”  Solution: Install mounting device for shower nozzle below grab bar (controls should be mounted between 38 and 48 inches) • Second Floor Locker Rooms: The showers in the second floor locker rooms are a ‘roll-in’ design without benches, but are non-compliant because of the following issues: - No grab bars - Entrance was too narrow @ 41” and 60” minimum is required. Design did not allow for forward entrance. User would have to back in. - All controls were mounted too high. CORRECTION: The current configuration of the roll-in showers in the second floor locker rooms doesn’t meet any known standard (past, present, or proposed); therefore, to make the showers useable without removing walls the showers should be reconfigured to meet figure 57 (b) of the ADA Standards (see attached drawing) o A seat and grab bars will need to be added. o The controls and shower head will need to be relocated. NOTE – Locker room had compliant accessible benches. o CORRECTION – Locker room had one electric hair dryer mounted on the mirror that was too high. The fixture is hardwired into the wall. One solution may be to install another hair dryer at appropriate reach ranges. o CORRECTION: Soap dispenser over sink wasn’t reachable with forward approach due to built-in trash receptacle under counter.  Solution – Install another soap dispenser to left of sink. • Family Restrooms (2nd Floor) o CORRECTION: The design does not provide adequate, required clear floor space to utilize the transfer shower. The 94.5 inch long wall in the Family restroom would have to be at least 97 to 98 inches long to accommodate all required clear floor spaces.  FYI: one needs a 56” by 60” clear floor space for the toilet. It appears the shower wall and shower seat encroaches about 2.5 inches into this space.  FYI: The transfer shower needs a clear floor space of 36” by 48” next to it. It appears the toilet encroaches about 3.5 inches into this space. o There are no easy solutions. If this narrow path between the toilet and shower is an issue - one might consider removing the seat, seat wall, and bench and make this a roll-in shower without a seat. o In any case the adjustable shower controls would need to be mounted between 38 and 48 inches high. Shari Thornes, Brookings City ADA Coordinator 6 STREETSCAPE COMPLIANCE REVIEW. Committee members Miller, Bayer, Kuechenmeister, Hartenhoff- Crooks and Cogswell accompanied Thornes, other city staff and the project designer, on a walking review of downtown. Listed below is a detailed summary of the spaces. After much discussion, the city staff identified access solutions for each of the problem area. Thornes was advised that these problems will be corrected. She noted that only 10 spaces are currently installed; however, the plan calls for 16. The remaining 16 will be installed when the project is completed this summer. 1) Midblock - front of Trendz Store (Main Ave) a. No Ramp b. Left access aisle 2) Corner – front of Ram (Main Ave) a. Ramp (but concrete moves, shifts when you step on it) i. No truncated dome b. Right access aisle 3) Corner – side of Ray’s (4th St) a. Ramp i. No truncated dome ii. Drainage problems / couldn’t locate drain b. “Van” Designated sign but not big enough c. Right access aisle 4) Corner – side of Audio Connection (4th St) a. Ramp i. No truncated dome ii. Scratched concrete b. Left - bigger access aisle 5) Corner – front of Sports Connection (Main Ave) a. No ramp 6) Midblock – Blooming Villa (Main Ave) a. No ramp b. Left access aisle 7) Corner – side of Sioux River Cyclery (5th St) a. Ramp i. No truncated dome ii. Drainage problems b. “Van” designated sign but not big enough c. Right access aisle 8) Midblock – Flowers on Main (Main Ave) a. No ramp b. Left access aisle 9) Corner – Post Office (Main Ave) a. Ramp i. No truncated dome ii. Van designated 7 iii. Right access aisle 10) Corner – Post Office (5th St) a. Ramp i. No truncated dome ii. Left access aisle Additional issues and questions raised: 1) How did they select the van designated spaces? It doesn’t appear to be based on size. 2) What is the reason for the scratching technique used in the access aisles that do have ramps? 3) There is a section of the sidewalk in front of the Cottonwood that have dropped and the threshold creates a tripping hazard. 4) There is a grate in the alley next to Hagman’s that has been lifted up and is sharp, dangerous and a tripping hazard. 5) The only solution we came up with to fix the midblock spaces without ramps would be to lose the adjacent parking space and move the accessible space over and cut in a ramp to the sidewalk. 6) Note that there is one corner parking space without a ramp on the corner in front of the Sports Connection. SENIOR CENTER PARKING LOT. Thornes and the subcommittee will review the proposed parking plan at the same time they review the Museum revised plans. ADA MONTHLY REPORTS. Thornes reminded the members to email their ADA related hours to Thornes for our monthly reports to the DBTAC Center. CALENDAR:  April 3rd – 9 am - Children’s Museum & Senior Center Lot Project Review  June 8-10- ADA Symposium, Kansas City  July – Durable Medical Equipment Drive Meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m. Submitted by Shari Thornes