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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDisMinutes_2012_03_23Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities March 23, 2012 A meeting of the Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities was held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012 in the Brookings City Hall with the following members present: Dave Miller, Jessie Kuechenmeister, Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Sylvia Lozada, Geoff Graff, Kathy Heylens, Matt Simet, Dona Kornbaum and Lonnie Bayer. Jeff Vostad and Alan Davis were absent. Shari Thornes was present. Miller called the meeting to order at 2:08 p.m. The minutes from February 3rd and 17th were approved as printed. Discussion regarding the swimming pool was added to the agenda. The agenda was adopted as amended. Next meeting – April 20th @ 2:00 p.m. NEW BUSINESS Swimming Pools. On March 15, 2012, Attorney General Eric Holder signed a final rule extending the date for compliance with sections 242 and 1009 of the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design as it relates to the provision of accessible entry and exit to existing swimming pools, wading pools, and spas for a period of 60 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. On that same day, the Attorney General also signed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking public comment on whether a longer period of time would be appropriate to allow pool owners and operators to meet their compliance obligations. Specifically, the NPRM proposes a 180-day extension of the deadline. Comments on the NPRM must be submitted on or before April 4, 2012. http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2012/pools_2012_nprm_final.htm Effective date for compliance with the 2010 Standards was March 15, 2012. 2010 standards must be followed for new construction, alterations, barrier removal, and program access. Elements covered under “safe harbor” that comply with the corresponding requirements in the 1991 Standards do not need to be modified to meet the 2010 Standards unless those elements are altered on or after March 15, 2012. However, Safe Harbor does not apply to elements in existing facilities that were not subject to specific requirements in the 1991 Standards. Elements in the 2010 Standards NOT subject to safe harbor: 1) Residential facilities and dwelling units 2) Amusement Rides 3) Recreational Boating Facilities 4) Exercise Machines & Equipment 5) Golf Facilities 6) Miniature Golf Facilities 7) Play Areas 8) Saunas and Steam Rooms 9) Swimming pools, wading pools and spas 10) Shooting facilities with firing positions 11) Team/Player Seating 12) Accessible Route to Bowling Lanes 13) Accessible Route to Court Sports Facilities Evaluation of play areas is particularly complicated and confusing. The City will be required to define and evaluate play areas components uses, types (i.e. climbing, spinning, rocking, swinging), integration with other components (elevated and non-elevated), access methods, clear floor space, entry points, reach ranges and surfaces. Swimming pools over 300 linear feet will require 2 means of access. The primary access must be a sloped entry or lift and the secondary access can be a transfer wall, transfer system or stairs. The pool lift must provide footrests and able to be operated unassisted. Wading pools must have a sloped entry. No pool in Brookings meets the standards. National ADA Symposium Report – Dave Miller attended the National ADA Symposium in Orlando, FL, March 11-16, 2012. Miller attended the following sessions: ADA Basics on Titles I, II and III; Recreation and Outdoor Areas; Housing: Which Laws Apply?; Emergency Preparedness for First Responders; Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities; Social Media Access; Parking; Accessible Transportation; Public Rights-of-Way; and Access Surveys. Several sessions were too basic; however, he found the Recreation session and the social media session extremely informative. YouTube has a means to close caption any video. Secondlife.com gives people with disabilities the ability to role play in various settings. The presentation experiences depended greatly on the presenter and their experience and knowledge. Several presenters were local, rather than the national speakers we’ve seen at other symposiums. All presentations are available on the www.trueshare website. Contact Thornes for access codes. He plans to share information with Todd Struwe, County Emergency Manager. Next year’s symposium will be in San Antonio, May 12-15. Fishing Piers. Miller attended a recreation seminar and noticed the accessible fishing pier plans called for a foot 9” clearance at the bottom of accessible railing. He didn’t remember seeing that detail in fishing pier at the Brookings Nature Center. The piers were designed by the State Game, Fish and Parks Department and are built at the penitentiary. Thornes and Colson will confirm the design meets requirements. 2012 ABLE Award; schedule & location. The Committee identified September 27th at the new city/county administration building as a proposed date and location for the 2012 ABLE awards/Mayor’s Awards combined event. Alternate locations proposed were the Children’s Museum and the Dykhouse Center. Thornes will propose the date to the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission. City Nature Park Learning Center; conceptual plans. The Committee had a brief look at the conceptual plans; however, this item was tabled until the next meeting due to the agenda length. Pete Colson anticipates more detailed plans in the near future. 2012 ADA Anniversary Activities – July 26th. The Committee conducted a durable medical equipment drive in 2011. The next drive isn’t planned until 2013. In 2010, the Committee did a month long educational campaign about ADA myths. For several years the Committee gave away SDSU ice cream at the last band concert of the season, which is typically the last Sunday in July. The band plays in the Pioneer Park Band Shell. Former chair Kurt Cogswell made all arrangements including obtaining the ice cream and contacting the band director. The committee stopped doing the event due to lack of member involvement. The members present enthusiastically endorsed trying the ice cream event this year. Heylens will contact Cogswell gather details. Thornes will need to find the Committee’s banner. 2012 Brookings Summer Arts Festival Accessibility. Simet will conduct research on event agreements and proposed accessibility guidelines for vendors. July agenda item. Volunteer Leadership Coffees with the Mayor - May 10 & 17. Mayor Reed is hosting first ever City Volunteer Leadership Coffees with the Mayor, which are informal gatherings on May 10th & 17th with the city’s volunteer board, committee, council and commission Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons. His goal is to provide the volunteer leadership with information on city issues and projects and seek your input. This will also be an opportunity to bring forward an issue or concern from each group. PROJECT & ISSUE UPDATES: Hillcrest School Parking Lot. Miller and Thornes met on site with Brad Wermers, Banner and Associates, and proposed an alternative design that would create two van accessible parking spaces with access aisles. Creative solutions were needed due to significant site limitations. Brookings Courthouse Remodel. Thornes contacted County Commissioner Falken to forward the Committee’s invitation to review the plans. Thornes received a follow-up call from County staff indicating the architect would be in contact when more detailed plans were available. City ADA Coordinator’s Report City Public Safety Building ∗ The accessible stall door needed to be relocated to be “offset” and will enter the stall on the clearance side of the toilet ∗ The door weight on interior door between dispatch and accessible bathrooms will be verified not to exceed 5lb ∗ The signage package will done under separate contract. Thornes will coordinate with the Police Chief on requirements. ∗ No changes are proposed to the non-compliant drinking fountain; however, if replaced, it will be a compliant style. In the meantime, Thornes will recommend placement of an object that is cane detectable. ∗ A secure service window will be located in wall between the police department staff and public hallway for communications and transactions. The design is similar to a drive-up bank teller window with a drawer that extends outward to place items for action. In reviewing the Standards and Guidelines, it was determined that this is not considered a counter, so is not subject to those specifications. Thornes recommended installation of an auxiliary counter to the right of the window to provide a writing surface for customers, which would serve as an accessible counter. ∗ The intercom and video cameras at the entry doors will be done under the security package, which is a separate contract. ∗ Thornes contacted the architect to make sure the flush controls on located on the transfer side of toilet. The current toilet, if reused in the same location, would not be compliant. City Parking Lot Audit. Due to anticipated restriping planned this spring and the fact that several city lots’ accessible striping and signage were never completed, Thornes plans to conduct an abbreviated parking lot review to identify major concerns. 6th Street Project. The second public meeting has not been set yet, but DOT wants to meet with city staff in April on their preferred design. Thornes plans to attend. Correspondence/Announcements/ Calendar ∗ ADA Leadership Certification Announcement! ∗ March 28th ADA Leadership Network Call, 2:00 pm ∗ April 22nd Spring Diversity Potluck, McCrory Gardens Visitor Center, 5-7 pm ∗ May 10th Volunteer Leadership Coffee with Mayor/Innovation Campus, 8-9:30 am ∗ May 17th Volunteer Leadership Coffee with Mayor/Innovation Campus, 8-9:30 am ∗ May 29-June 2 ADA Symposium (Indianapolis) ∗ July 26th Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary ∗ Sept 13th Volunteer Reception, Performing Arts Center, 5-7 pm (volunteer & guest invited) ∗ Dec 6th Mayor’s Holiday Party, McCrory Gardens Visitor Center, 5-7 pm Tentative April Agenda: 2013 City Budget Request, Outdoor Learning Center Meeting adjourned at 4:10 p.m. Submitted by Shari Thornes