HomeMy WebLinkAboutDisMinutes_2011_12_09Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities
December 9, 2011
A meeting of the Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities was held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday,
December 9, 2011 in the Brookings City Hall with the following members present: Dave Miller, Jessie
Kuechenmeister, Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Sylvia Lozada, Alan Davis, Geoff Graff, Jeff Vostad and Dona
Kornbaum. Kathy Heylens, Matt Simet and Lonnie Bayer were absent. Shari Thornes was also present.
Miller called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. The October minutes were approved with corrections.
The agenda was adopted. Next meeting – January 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
NEW BUSINESS
Formal comments on the US14 (6th Street) from west of 22nd Avenue to east of 34th Avenue, SD
Department of Transportation. The South Dakota Department of Transportation held a public information
meeting/open house on November 17th to gather input on the proposed plans for US14 from west of 22nd
Avenue to east of 34th Avenue. The project will encompass grading, PCC pavement, curb and gutter,
drainage, signals and lights. http://www.sddot.com/pe/projdev/planning_pubmeet_us14brkgs.asp. The
meeting was on the same night at the City’s Volunteer Reception; however, Thornes was able meet with Paul
Knofczynski, SDDOT Engineer, and asked for an opportunity for the Committee to provide initial comments
on the project. DOT agreed and extended the comment period to accommodate the Committee’s meeting
schedule.
John Rittershaus, SDDOT Engineer, was at the Committee’s meeting to provide an overview and respond to
questions. The scope of the project will include widening 6th Street, installing sidewalks, improving
crosswalks, providing sidewalk access on at one or both sides of the bridge across to 32nd Avenue. The
state is considering a number of overall design alternatives and the proposal doesn’t include sidewalk and
crosswalk specifics yet. He said the crosswalk design will be consistent with the west 6th Street expansion
project, which was directional rather than diagonal. The project is slated for 2014; however, the State feels
it will really occur in 2015. Another public hearing is planned for spring 2012 after the state selects its
preferred design. That plan will provide more details on sidewalks, crosswalks, signals, etc. Pedestrian
crossings will be provided at 22nd Avenue, Sunrise Ridge Road, 25th Avenue, 32nd Avenue and 34th Avenue.
The 6th Street/22nd Avenue is very wide and can be difficult for anyone with disabilities to cross. The
Committee asked if a mid-point “island” were planned in the design. Rittershaus said an island is not
currently planned in the design.
(Hartenhoff-Crooks arrived @ 2:25 pm)
The Committee made the following official comments:
Requested directional curb ramps at all crosswalk intersections.
Requested consideration of Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS) for traffic lights along the project.
There are currently no sidewalks along Rotary Park, located on the southwest corner of 6th Street & 22nd
Avenue. Sidewalk installation is not part of the State’s project; however, the city is working with the
property owners get them installed as part of the new gateway project.
Review of Nature Park Phase 1 – Fisheries Improvements. The Committee reviewed the final plans for the
Brookings Nature Park Phase 1 – Fisheries Improvements project. Pete Colson, Park/Recreation/Forestry
Superintendent, was in attendance to respond to questions.
The park’s path of travel will be crushed concrete. The path will circle both ponds.
The nature center building plans will be available later this spring.
Additional details were provided on the fishing pier design that answered the Committee’s questions from
the October meeting. The Committee referenced the “US Access Board document on Fishing Piers &
Platforms.”
Railings - Where railings, guards, or handrails are provided on a fishing pier or platform, they must meet ADAAG
provisions.
Height - Where railings, guards, or handrails are provided on a fishing pier
or platform, at least 25 percent of the rails must be 34 inches or less in
height above the ground or deck so a person using a wheelchair or other
mobility device has the opportunity to fish. However, guardrails may be
higher than 34 inches if the higher portion meets all the requirements of
the International Building Code. (See 2000 International Building Code,
below.) This will allow a design professional to increase the guardrail
height if a specific location needs enhanced safety measures or a local
building code applies.
Dispersion - Anglers who can stand are able to fish from any part of a pier
or platform and change locations. To provide anglers with disabilities
similar opportunities, the accessible 34 -inch maximum railing must be
located in a variety of places on the pier or platform to offer a variety of locations to fish from . Different fishing
locations may provide different water depths, shade or sun, vegetation, and proximity to the shoreline or bank.
Edge Protection - Where railings, guards, or handrails are provided, edge protection must be provided and extend a
minimum of 2 inches above the ground or deck surface. This protection will prevent persons using wheelchairs or
other mobility devices from slipping off the pier or platform.
Edge protection is not required where a railing, guardrail, or handrail is provided, if the deck surface extends a
minimum of 12 inches beyond the inside face of the railing. This design allows a person using a wheelchair or other
mobility device to pull into a clear space and move beyond the face of the railing to view the water in different
directions. Toe clearance must be at least 30 inches wide and a minimum of 9 inches above the ground or deck
surface beyond the railing.
Clear Floor or Ground Space - At least one clear floor or ground space (30 inches by 48 inches minimum) must be
provided at each location that has a railing height of 34 inches maximum. If there are no railings, at least one clear
space must be provided on a pier or platform. (See illustration above, Railing Heights and Clear Space.)
Turning Space - Piers and platforms must have at least one turning area, either a 60-inch turning space or T-shaped
space, to allow a person using a mobility device or wheelchair to make a 180-degree turn. The space may overlap
the accessible route and clear floor or ground space.
Brookings Health Systems Nursing Home Expansion plan presentation. Brookings Health Systems is
building a new nursing home facility. They hired the architectural firm of Horty Elving and Associates, Inc.
from Minneapolis, MN.
Christine Soma and Rick Moore from Horty Elving, via conference call, provided an overview of the project:
The new facility will be one level with a “town center” connected to three residential wings, housing 79
residents (76 of the 79 rooms will be single occupancy and 3 bariatric rooms).
Sidewalk slopes connecting each building do not exceed 2 percent.
Two wings are long term with some memory care mixed. The third wing has some short term care for
medicare patients for rehab.
The town center will house a chapel, group room, indoor park, reception area, small store for incidentals
and food, café, barber/beauty center. All visitors will park and enter in the town center.
Family Restroom – The proposed plans did not include a family restroom. The Committee identified its
preferred location to be adjacent to the existing bathrooms in the town center. The architects will
modify the plans.
Seating questions - All tables in the café area and seating in the chapel will be movable.
Residents’ bathrooms –This specific population generally requires assistance due to increased frailty and
limited upper body strength. The 2010 ADA Standards require fifty percent (50%) of the
rooms/restrooms are required to be accessible. Horty Elving is requesting a deviation from the
Standards and are proposing an “equivalent facilitation” design for the resident rooms and bathrooms.
Their design has been approved by the Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota Departments of Health.
They are submitting a formal request to the State of South Dakota. They will provide the committee
with a written narrative explaining the design.
o None of the residential toilets comply with standards. The proposed design locates the toilet
farther away from the wall and provides fold-down grab bars to allow wheelchair transfer and
assistance from either side of the toilet.
o The shower design is also modified. Residents are not allowed to shower by themselves and
assistance is provided. They are not allowed to stand in the shower.
o Comments from Rob Gilkerson, ADA Leadership Network: It appears none of the nursing home
residential bathrooms meet the ADA Standards. However, the ADA allows for equivalent
facilitation; therefore, I would have the architect prove, document, explain why and if his or her
design provides equivalent or greater access. Additionally, it appears a staff bathroom will not
meet the ADA Standards because it shows a 48 by 48 fiberglass shower without a shower bench
(it should be a 36 by 36 transfer shower with a bench). --- Rob
“2.2* Equivalent Facilitation. Departures from particular technical and scoping requirements of this guideline by the use of other desi gns and
technologies are permitted where the alternative designs and technologies used will provide substantially
equivalent or greater access to and usability of the facility.” (1991 ADA Standards)
“103 Equivalent Facilitation - Nothing in these requirements prevents the use of designs, products, or
technologies as alternatives to those prescribed, provided they result in substantially equivalent or greater
accessibility and usability.
Advisory 103 Equivalent Facilitation. The responsibility for demonstrating equivalent facilitation in the
event of a challenge rests with the covered entity. With the exception of transit facilities, which are covered
by regulations issued by the Department of Transportation, there is no process for certifying that an
alternative design provides equivalent facilitation.” (2010 ADA Standards)
Thornes and the Committee explained the review process usually involves in-person meetings with the
architect(s) to final construction documents prior to bidding. The group thanked the architects for the
review, but felt a conference call overview didn’t work well and requested a special meeting to provide a
deeper review of the project.
Proposed schedule:
o Mid December Special meeting with Committee – preliminary plan review
o January 13th Special Committee Meeting (tentative)
o January 13th Construction Documents
o January 31st Meeting with Owner, sign off on plans
o February 3/10 Special Committee Meeting (tentative)
o February 13th Bid Documents
Assign subcommittee for Annual Report. The Committee’s 2011 annual report is due to the city manager on
February 15th. Kuechenmeister volunteered.
Training Opportunities.
Barrier-Free Recreation Webinar – Dec 14th, 2:00-3:00 pm (registration required) - Thornes and Pete
Colson plan to participate.
Accessible Golf Courses Webinar – Jan 5th, 1:30-3 pm (registration required) – Miller expressed interest.
Accessible Courthouses and Courtrooms – Feb 2nd, 1:30-3 pm (registration required) – Several
expressed interest.
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design – Mar 1st, 1:30-3 pm (registration required)
ADA Symposium (Orlando) - Mar 11-15 – Reminder that “ADA Leadership Network certification” is
required in order to qualify for the $1000 travel stipend.
ADA Symposium (Indianapolis) - May 29-June 2 - Reminder that “ADA Leadership Network certification”
is required in order to qualify for the $1000 travel stipend.
Brookings Courthouse Remodel – According to recent newspaper reports, the Brookings County Courthouse
will be remodeled for court services. Remodeling will include another courtroom, office spaces for judges
and staff, attorney/client space, jury facilities, and security improvements. The County has hired the firm of
Architecture Inc. from Sioux Falls. The Committee will initiate contact with County Commissioners to
request an opportunity to provide accessibility input and plan review.
Elections. A motion was made by Vostad, seconded by Kornbaum, to elect Miller as chair and
Kuechenmeister as vice chair for 2012. All present voted yes; motion carried.
PROJECT & ISSUE UPDATES:
Update on Sidewalk Snow Removal Ordinance Amendments – The City Council will hold “first reading” of
the revised sidewalk snow removal ordinance on December 13th. The second ordinance reading (public
hearing) is scheduled for December 20th. Members were asked to attend the public hearing to provide
support for the proposed ordinance and respond to questions.
Hampton Inn and Fairfield Inn – Subcommittee Report – Vostad, Graff and Miller toured the Fairfield Inn on
November 10th and noted the following issues. They were unable to tour the Hampton Inn due to a
scheduling conflict.
Outdoors:
-Accessible parking spot signs are mounted too low
-Insufficient number of accessible parking spots compared to rooms (76 total rooms)
-Access isles between accessible parking spots are too narrow
-Slope of ramp going into lobby is too steep
Inside:
-Ground floor “accessible” rest rooms are too small for 60” turning radius, insufficient clearance for side
to side transfer to toilet, pipes under wash basin lack insulation, wash basin is too high.
- Ground floor accessible guest room (#109 I believe). Insufficient side to side toilet transfer clearance
space, shower hear mounted too high to be reached from a seated position
- Remaining “accessible” rooms all had traditional tub and shower combination (not accessible), very
poor (weak), ill-fitting shower chairs, insufficient side to side toilet transfer space, lack of pipe insulation
under sinks.
Standards & Guidelines information regarding lodging accessibility:
NOTE FROM ROB GILKERSON, ADA Leadership Network - FYI: I stayed at the Hampton Inn last year,
found several issues, and addressed the major one in the attached letter. In my last conversation with
the manager, he said he removed and replaced the shower curtain and provided a portable bench. In
my opinion a portable bench isn’t equivalent. By the way, Hampton Inn is under a settlement
agreement with DOJ (it was signed last year).
Americans with Disabilities Act Checklist for New Lodging Facilities. This 34-page checklist is a self-help survey that
owners, franchisors, and managers of lodging facilities can use to identify ADA mistakes at their facilities.
Common ADA Problems at Newly Constructed Lodging Facilities. An 11-page document lists a sampling of common
accessibility problems at newly constructed lodging facilities that have been identified through the Department of
Justice's ongoing enforcement efforts. Common ADA Problems at Newly Constructed Lodging Facilities (HTML)
Common ADA Problems at Newly Constructed Lodging Facilities (PDF)
Five Steps To Make New Lodging Facilities Comply With The ADA. A 3-page document highlighting five steps that
owners, operators, and franchisors can take to make sure that new lodging facilities comply with the ADA. Five
Steps To Make New Lodging Facilities Comply (HTML); Five Steps To Make New Lodging Facilities Comply (PDF)
Americans with Disabilities Act Guide for Places of Lodging: Serving Guests Who Are Blind or Who Have Low Vision .
A 12-page publication explaining what hotels, motels, and other places of transient lodging can do to accommodate
guests who are blind or have low vision. Serving Lodging Guests Who Are Blind or Who Have Low Vision (HTML)
Serving Lodging Guests Who Are Blind or Who Have Low Vision (PDF);
ADA Business Brief: Communicating with Guests Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hotels, Motels, and Other
Places of Transient Lodging PDF screen version - Communicating in Transient Lodging (88k); PDF print version -
Communicating in Transient Lodging (672k); HTML version - Communicating in Transient Lodging
New regulations regarding reservations, see 36.302(e); http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-
idx?c=ecfr&sid=42344cd0b931578e34a872a6688633ed&rgn=div5&view=text&node=28:1.0.1.1.37&idno=28#28:1.0
.1.1.37.3.32.2
(e)(1) Reservations made by places of lodging. A public accommodation that owns, leases (or leases to), or operates
a place of lodging shall, with respect to reservations made by any means, including by telephone, in -person, or
through a third party—
(i) Modify its policies, practices, or procedures to ensure that individuals with disabilities can make reservations for
accessible guest rooms during the same hours and in the same manner as individuals who do not need accessible
rooms;
(ii) Identify and describe accessible features in the hotels and guest rooms offered through its reservations service
in enough detail to reasonably permit individuals with disabilities to assess independently whether a given hotel or
guest room meets his or her accessibility needs;
(iii) Ensure that accessible guest rooms are held for use by individuals with disabilities until all other guest rooms of
that type have been rented and the accessible room requested is the only remaining room of that type;
(iv) Reserve, upon request, accessible guest rooms or specific types of guest rooms and ensure that the guest rooms
requested are blocked and removed from all reservations systems; and
(v) Guarantee that the specific accessible guest room reserved through its reservations service is held for the
reserving customer, regardless of whether a specific room is held in response to reservations made by others.
(2) Exception. The requirements in paragraphs (iii), (iv), and (v) of this section do not apply to reservations for
individual guest rooms or other units not owned or substantially controlled by the entity that owns, leases, or
operates the overall facility.
(3) Compliance date. The requirements in this section will apply to reservations made on or after March 15, 2012.
Wrap-up on Governor’s Awards Recognition Event on November 22nd - The Mayor and City Council
recognized this year’s Governor’s Awards nominees at the November 22nd City Council Meeting.
Kuechenmeister assisted the Mayor in the recognition event. Thornes will coordinate with Simet on the
submittal of completed nominations, which is sometime in February.
OTHER BUSINESS:
City ADA Coordinator’s Report: Open projects include the following:
Provide ADA information to Brookings School District, per their request
Conduct outside review of McCrory Gardens, weather permitting. Inside review will occur in
2012
Brookings Health Systems Nursing Home – January/February 2012
Swiftel Center Parking questions
Outdoor Learning Center, Brookings Nature Park, January 2012
Library Parking questions
Community Cultural Center final review, after railing is installed and parking completed
Fire hall expansion final plans
BMU parking questions
CORRESPONDENCE/ANNOUNCEMENTS/ CALENDAR
YTD Financial Report (Enclosed)
Dec 9th ADA Leadership Conference Call, 2 pm
Dec 15th Barrier-Free Recreation Webinar, 2 pm
Jan 5th Accessible Golf Courses Webinar, 1:30-3 pm
Feb 2nd Accessible Courthouses and Courtrooms, 1:30-3 pm
Feb 15th Annual Report Deadline
March 1st 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, 1:30-3 pm
Mar 11-15 ADA Symposium (Orlando)
May 29-June 2 ADA Symposium (Indianapolis)
Tentative January Agenda:
Outdoor Learning Center (Randy Hansen, guest)
Nursing Home Plan Review
Public Education Campaign on Sidewalk Snow Removal
Attendance @2012 National ADA Symposiums: Orlando (March) and Indianapolis (May)
ADA Leadership Network Renewal & Review of New Requirements
Review of 2012 Goals and Objectives
Action to approve Annual Report
Governor’s Awards Nomination Deadline – February
Transportation Board Report
Special Needs Population Report
Meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes