HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-11-01-COD-minCommission on Disability
Meeting Minutes for November 1, 2012
5: 45pm to 7: 00 pm
Parker Room, G -1, Lexington Town Hall
Members Present: Victoria Buckley, Janice Cyr, Julie Miller, Michael Martignetti
Members Not Present: Susan Cusack, Leonard Morse - Fortier, Janet Perry, Francine Stieglitz,
and Jennifer Williams
Staff Present: Linda Vine, Deputy Town Manager
Additional Attendees: Jeanette Rebecchi, Transportation Services Coordinator, Bijan
Ashartous and Nancy Adler
Meeting Began at 5:55pm
1. Minutes of October 3, 2012 were approved.
2. Jeannette Rebecchi spoke about - due to the Ride's new fare structure, Lexpress (and
Town of Lexington) are consequently out of compliance with the federal ADA paratransit
requirements. The situation is complex due to multiple factors such as routes (Premium
Service Areas), ADA laws regarding paratransit fares, and the difficulty of identifying and
reimbursing qualified riders on an ongoing basis. Jeannette presented the new
reimbursement policy and asked for suggestions on how to get the word out to the public.
a. Suggestions were made to place notices in the local newpapers such as Lexington
Minuteman and Colonial Times and providing the information on the Lexington
Town web sites, including the Commission on Disabilities site, and having the
information available on the Lexpress buses.
The CoD has received complaints regarding hearing issues in some of our public
buildings. complaint:
a. Bijan Ashartous and Nancy Adler, both have hearing loss, attended the meeting to
advocate for better hearing capabilities for public rooms. There is agreement
among all that all Open Meetings should be wired for assisted listening devices
and that the devices must be available for use.
b. Current status of some of the areas:
i. Stone and Estabrook Rooms in Cary Hall have acoustic issues and no
assisted listening devices.
ii. The wiring in the Town Hall is almost ready for assisted listening devices.
iii. Currently the Selectment's Meeting Room is fully equipped.
c. The CoD with discuss this further with Pat Goddard.
Meeting Adjourned at: 7:00 PM
Next Meeting: December 6, 2012
Meeting Minutes Submitted by: Janice Cyr, Commission Member