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Commission on Disability
September 1, 2011 Meeting Minutes
5:45pm to 7:00 pm
Ellen Stone Room at Cary Hall
Commission on Disability
Meeting of September 1, 2011
Members Present: Victoria Buckley, Susan Cusack, Janice Cyr, Leonard Morse-Fortier,
Janet Perry, Francine Stieglitz, and Jennifer Williams.
Members Not Present: Michael Martinetti and Julie Miller
Staff: Garry Rhodes and Linda Vine
Additional Attendees: Marjorie Travis and Don Mills (Miles Whitaker Architects)
Meeting Began at: 5:45pm Meeting Adjourned at: 7:00pm
1.Minutes for the August meeting were approved with minimal modifications.
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2.Update to Buca di Beppo Restaurant potential valet parking raised at the last meeting-
Linda informed us that Buca was able to obtain 20 to 30 spots for parking at the 152
Waltham Street location. They were also able to find two parking spots behind the
handicapped spot for valet parking so they may not need to use the handicapped spot.
They are currently seeking approvals to offer valet parking from their corporate office
before moving ahead with gaining approvals from the town.
3.Marjorie Travis joined the group to discuss the 57 Bedford Street door issue. The
doors are heavy and need an automatic door opener. Marjorie wrote letters to her
doctor, a tenant in the building and to the property manager but has not received any
response. Linda spoke with Marjorie and invited her to bring her concerns to the
COD. Len will find out who owns the building and will forward the information to
Victoria who will contact the owner to discuss the situation. The CoD would like this
situation to be resolved without needing to take further action.
4.Summary of the Cary Memorial Building Study to date - Don Mills from Miles
Whitaker Architects presented prints of existing basement, first and second floors of
Cary Hall and proposed accessibility related modifications. Some of the issues and
recommendations:
Outdoors- ramp does not comply with current code
Proposed - rebuild ramp and position closer to door.
Basement – No accessibility to the stage in Estabrook Hall and poor acoustics.
Proposed –Ramp to give full accessibility to the stage will be incorporated.
Dual handrails along the walls to be installed and acoustics addressed.
st
1 floor -Main stage not accessible and bathrooms insufficient
Commission on Disability
September 1, 2011 Meeting Minutes
5:45pm to 7:00 pm
Ellen Stone Room at Cary Hall
Proposed - Renovation of both Men and Women’s bathrooms with
accessibility features to be incorporated. A wheelchair lift would be installed
to access the main stage without changing the look of the room.
nd
2 floor -Bird and Civil rooms are not accessible.
Proposed - wheelchair lift would be installed to access the Bird room. Some
seats would be removed for wheelchair space and to allow access to the Civil
Room. More handrails would be installed to promote safety but would not
obscure view of stage.
Attic - area has a large supply air fan and return air fan that are noisy and
causes hearing issues.
Proposed- a redesign of this area with new HVAC equipment
Variances will still be needed for the renovations as not all accessibility issues will be
addressed although the study is not at the point of requesting the variances.
Additional funding may be requested to extend the study.
5.Garry reported that the India Bistro Restaurant has corrected the sidewalk issue and
installed the automatic door opener. Panera’s Restaurant renovations are moving
forward. The Roast Beef & Seafood Restaurant is working on correcting counter
heights.
Next Meeting: October 6, 2011
Meeting Minutes Submitted by: Janice Cyr, Commission Member