Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-06-06-COD-min Commission on Disability Minutes from June 6, 2019 Members: Victoria Buckley (Chair), Shaun Grady, Julie Miller, Leonard Morse-Fortier, Janet Perry, Francine Stieglitz Town Liaisons: Kelly Axtell, Assistant Town Manager Committee; Bonnie Teitelman, Council on Aging Guests: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs; 1. Review of minutes for May: Minutes approved 2. Update from Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs on capital projects, programs, services and staff – presentation on the pending installation of a 5-row accessible bleacher at Lincoln Field. The Commission was pleased with the design and unanimously voted to approve this project. Installation will be scheduled for this summer before the LHS athletic season starts. 3. Center Streetscape: ongoing discussion about our concerns about the proposed brick sidewalks, and the newly proposed curb cuts. This discussion presented an opportunity to share with the new Town Manager to build awareness about our concerns. Please see attached below the presentation made to Town Manager and chair of the Select Board from 5/28/19 which was reviewed by Victoria during this meeting. o The brick curb cut design continues to be a debate and is not yet resolved. o We will be requesting a formal maintenance plan from the Town to further understand how concerns will be addressed in the future. o We are aware that citizens have tripped and fallen on the sidewalks in the center forcing the town to repair the more distressed areas of the sidewalk on the North Side. o We are aware of areas of the recently installed sidewalk on the South Side of the center that are in need of repair, and as such, are out of compliance. We will be emailing DPW to alert them of the problem, and in turn, begin the process of keeping track of the maintenance requirements of a sidewalk system that utilizes brick as the material of choice. **Next Meeting - June 27, 2019; note this meeting will be in place of a July Meeting. Minutes Respectfully Submitted by Sue Cusack Attachment - Center Streetscape Concerns May 28, 2019 – Meeting Town Manager – James Malloy DPW, Director – David Pinsonneault Select Board, Chair – Doug Lucente Commission on Disability – Victoria Buckley, Chair; Shaun Grady; Julie Miller  Commission on Disability has continued concerns about brick sidewalks: - People with disabilities have problems traveling over uneven surfaces, as do elderly citizens and young mothers with strollers. There is an important “fatigue factor’ associated with traveling over bricks for those with mobility issues. - Segmented discrete pavers have lots of seams and irregularities which cause tripping hazards for all. - Vibration issues cause spasticity, pain, loss of balance and disturbances of correct positional seating. - Pathways that are not smooth are almost impassable for those with neurological disorders and/or visual issues. - The variegation in brick creates depth perception issues and “neurological noise” issues.  Commission on Disability originally proposed the use of concrete with bricks on the sides for decorative edge treatment because it is a safer and smoother approach to sidewalks. - This type of sidewalk also helps people with visual, sensory and neurological problems since it offers way-finding features. Many neighboring towns have already adopted this choice. - This is in accordance with resolution passed in Town Meeting in 2015 as Article 42: “To provide a welcoming and comfortable experience for individuals of all abilities, the Town will endeavor at all times to use smooth, safe and aesthetically appropriate materials when constructing sidewalks and other passageways on town-owned walkways. Bricks and other small discrete pavers may be used as decorative edge treatments, but shall always be installed to create the smoothest surface possible, ensuring safety for citizens who have trouble traversing uneven surfaces.”  Commission on Disability has concerns about the proposed wire-cut brick sidewalks: - We have never seen “one done right” in our climate. - We question smoothness claims. It defies logic that segmented pavers are smoother than surfaces with fewer seams. - Even if the claims of superior smoothness can be substantiated, it does not answer all of our concerns anyway, such as depth perception and neurological noise due to variegation. - We question the high cost of the proposed sidewalks, asking citizens with disabilities to pay taxes on what they cannot use safely. - We worry about maintenance in our climate. Who will monitor this? Other places like Boston replace “tipped bricks’ with patches. - The demographics of Lexington are changing as the percentage of elders is increasing. The Council on Aging was not part of the Ad Hoc Streetscape Committee.  Commission on Disability has special concerns about the proposed brick curb cuts for crosswalks. We need concrete ramps with federal yellow rumble strips. - Meg Robertson, Director, Orientation and Mobility Department, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, said that brick for ramps is inappropriate due to color contrast concerns and slip resistance issues. - The federal yellow contrast on the rumble strips is considered crucial for night time visibility and for those with vision issues. - City of Boston Public Works Department Sidewalk Construction and Rehabilitation Standards state: “All components new accessibility ramps built will be constructed in concrete. In order to provide a stable, firm surface for people with mobility impairments, differentiation for people with limited vision, brick or other specialty paver ramps will not be allowed.” - City of Cambridge policy states: “All new pedestrian ramps, including landing areas, will be concrete.”  Commission on Disability has done its homework with other towns and resources. - City of Boston policy: “New sidewalks, as part of a reconstruction project or through the construction of a new roadway shall be composed of concrete. This policy will be amended under the following conditions: Historic Districts: In historic districts, existing sidewalks that are brick shall be reconstructed with wire cut bricks on a bed of asphalt or concrete per PWD standards with the following exceptions: Existing sidewalks that are concrete shall be reconstructed with concrete if the width of the sidewalk is less than 5 feet. If the sidewalk is greater than five feet the sidewalk will be constructed of concrete in the path of travel and, with Public Works approval, include a brick feature strip along the curb line. In no case shall the concrete portion (path of travel) of the sidewalk be less than 4 feet. Non- Historic Districts – All sidewalk reconstruction projects and new sidewalks shall be constructed with concrete.” - Other parts of the country are moving toward concrete only – Atlanta, Georgia, and the state of California. Commission on Disability asked to present these issues once again to the Select Board. - Victoria met with John Livsey first about the ramps. - Outreach was done to City of Boston’s Disabilities Commission - We then asked for a date from the Select Board Chair, which led us to this meeting. Victoria Buckley Chair, Commission on Disability 05/28/19