HomeMy Public PortalAboutAll Citizens Access -- 2011-10-21 Minutes Colette Williams
From: MOEBOBCC @aol.com
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 10:25 AM
To: Colette Williams
Cc: cburke200 @verizon.net; vickilyntex @aol.com; helen @vipilot.com; onejuandon @comcast.net;
fgentnerma @yahoo.com; rkaddy @verizon.net; sjkelly @truro-ma.gov;
erniemayb @comcast.net; comdis @nantucket-ma.gov; polly @cilcapecod.org
Subject: Brewster's ACAC October 21, 2011 Meeting Minutes
ALL CITIZENS ACCESS COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes for October 21, 2011
Present: Brian Ladley, Jean Sears, Robert Steinmann, Maureen Steinmann
Members not Present: Denise Rego
Guest vistior: Peter Johnson, President of the Brewster Conservation Trust
Minutes for the June 17,2011 meeting were accepted.
Review of Summer Issues:
Beach Accessibility:
We reviewed our beaches re their accessibility throughout the summer months. Linnell Landing was
deemed to be the only accessible beach.
The committee decided for 2012 to follow up on beach accessibility issues throughout the summer to
maintain as much accessibility as possible. Each member will adopt a beach or two and any accessibility
issues should be able to be addressed quickly. This came about because the Steinmanns visited Ellis
Landing in August,which although not beach accessible, there is a handicap parking spot from which
one can disembark from his/her car or van and enjoy the view. Due to erosion a wooden barrier had
been put up along the side of the HP area which people were using as a bike rack therefore blocking the
handicap parking space. The Chair contacted the DPW and they fixed the problem by providing a bike
rack.
Brewster has very few beaches that are either accessible or can be made accessible. These will be
reviewed at our next meeting with Bob Bersin, head of the Department of Public Works. Peter Johnson
also mentioned that Chris Miller, head of Brewster's Natural Resources Dept.would be a good source of
information re Brewster's beaches.
Information Sheets: The Chair mentioned that only the sheets re Accessible Beaches, Beach Wheelchair
Accessible Beaches and Accessible Recreational Sites were available at the Visitors Center. Re the
Accessible Restaurant sheets, the Chair decided not to make them available until ACAC had further
discussions re "inns". It was decided that the existing accessible restaurant information sheet will have to
be reviewed and updated each year. More discussion on that subject to follow.
Town Hall Accessibility Update: Tom Thatcher notified the Chair that he has placed accessible desks in
the appropriate Town Hall offices. The counters in the Assessors Office and Accounting Department
have to be physically modified and Tom is continuing to progress in that work.
Captain's Golf Course: It was noted in the newspaper that this past summer the Captains Golf Course
had purchased a SoloRider accessible golf cart. The Chair will send a letter thanking them for their
purchase.
Fall Issues: Brian will check in with Sue Broderick to make sure all is set with CART for Town Meeting
on November 7th. He will check with the Town Clerk re the accessible voting machine, AutoMark, for
the elections on November 8th . Brian will also put together a list of what he recommends for the CART
setup for Town Meeting which also will be sent to the Harwich Disability Commission.
Funding Projects: The issue of funding projects was of concern to the Chair so she asked Jeff Dougan of
the MA Office on Disability what the responsibilities of the committee are in this regard. He noted that
the purpose of Handicap Commissions is basically to assist and advise on issues of disability and
accessibility. It is not in their purview to seek funding from grants, CPA funds, etc. The funding of
projects to improve accessibility is the responsibility of the municipalities. Bob Bersin, head of the DPW
is responsible for Brewster's beaches so the funding should come through the DPW. It was suggested
that some grants/funding could be sought as a joint venture between the DPW and the Recreation Dept.
Bob will be at our Nov. 18th meeting and this issue will be discussed.
Projects for 2012: It was decided to focus on accessible pathways at two-three beaches and Drummer
Boy Park. Identifying the beaches, the appropriate material for the accessible pathways and their
placement will be discussed at our Nov. 18th meeting. There are two commercial accessible pathway
materials being considered: Super Deck Systems and Mobimat, samples of each were brought to the
meeting. The mobimat was used this summer at Coast Guard Beach with very satisfactory results. The
Super Deck has been used satisfactorily at Eastham's First Encounter Beach for the last few years. The
Steinmanns checked out the Super Deck in Eastham. Other used accessible pathway materials available
are the wooden slats currently used at Crosby and sections of a "1st generation" of mobimat, now in
storage at the DPW. It is the committee's hope that we will be able to use these somewhere in town, but
probably not at the ocean beaches.
With regard to Drummer Boy Park: A couple of months ago the Chair had asked the Selectmen to
include DBP on their agenda. John Dickson, the Selectmen's liason to our committee, was going to follow
up on this. The ACAC recommended the appointment of a special committee to review the existing 1995
Drummer Boy Park Master Plan because there is no designation for handicap parking, no accessible
pathway to the accessible playground, no particulars on the accessible pathways as to composition, size,
etc. The Chair queried the MA Office on Disability and based on the Chair's description, MOD believes
that Drummer Boy Park is non-compliant with ADA standards so it is important for this issue to be
followed up. As the Selectmen are extremely busy with the Nov. 7 town meeting issues, our committee
felt it best to wait until after town meeting before we bring this development to their attention. The
Chair distributed copies of the relative correspondence.
Other Issues:
Peter Johnson noted that he and others from the Brewster Conservation Trust recently finished a
pathway on the Trust's property at the Community Gardens area off of Lower Road . Peter said this
was their first trail and that the Trust will try to keep accessibility in mind when making new trails. It is
also possible that the Trust could use some of the unused accessible pathway materials on their trails.
The Chair noted that the Harwich Conservation Trust has two wheelchair accessible walkways.
Maureen gave Peter a copy of an article "Happy Trails to You"" from the MA Audubon Connections
magazine (May-August 2011)wherein they describe "trail making", including accessible trails. She also
gave Peter a general information sheet describing criteria for accessible pathways. Peter asked if this
was available on line at the committee's website. The Chair thought so, but was going to check.
2
The Chair noted that the issue of"Scent-Free Policy" is being discussed by other handicap commissions.
Brewster's policy, according to our Jillian Douglass, the Assistant Town Manager, is one of"reasonable
accommodation"whereby cases are handled on an individual basis upon request.
The Chair noted that the dam improvements at the Grist Mill Site which, because of the nature of the
work,will improve accessibility is still uncertain due to a State funding issue.
The Chair showed a newspaper clipping showing the new accessible bath house at Cook's Brook Beach in
Eastham.
The Chair received a packet of information from Beth Albert, Director of Barnstable County Dept of
Human Services and ADA Coordinator for Barnstable County. Included in this packet were booklets
"Planning Accessible Meetings and Events", Accessible Print Materials"and sheets re "Accessibility
Language and Symbols", "711 Relay Calling Tips", and "Examples of People First Language" sheets,
similar to the "Say What" sheets. The Chair distributed copies of the "special language" sheets, as those
were new.
The Committee's next meeting will be November 18th at 2pm at the COA. The meeting adjourned at
3:25pm. Respectively submitted by Maureen Steinmann
3
Colette Williams
From: MOEBOBCC @aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 2:45 PM
To: Colette Williams
Subject: Attachment to ACAC Oct. 21st, 2011 Meeting Minutes
Hi Colette, I forgot to send this along with the approved Oct. 21st meeting minutes. Moe
DRUMMER BOY ADA STATUS
In a message dated 7/21/2011 10:39:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ieff.dougan(a6tate.ma.us writes:
Maureen:
I am sorry that it has taken me a little while to respond...
See my comments in RED below. If there are further questions, please let me know. Sincerely, Jeffrey
L. Dougan, Assistant Director for Community Service
Massachusetts Office on Disability, One Ashburton Place, Room 1305, Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-727-7440
Fax: 617-727-0965,www.mass.gov/mod
From: MOEBOBCC(a�aol.com lmailto:MOEBOBCC(aaol.coml
Sent: Tuesday, July 12,2011 4:43 PM
To: Dougan, Jeff(MOD)
Subject: Park access
Hi Jeff,
I hope all is well with you. As usual, I have a question to ask.
We have one town park in Brewster, Drummer Boy Park. It was purchased back in 1988 and had a
Master Plan drawn up for it in 1995 which made it accessible but which was never acted on. It is basically
a wide open field which is inaccessible to wheelchairs as there are no accessible pathways in it. There is
an accessible playground which has no accessible pathway to it. There is also an inaccessible gazebo with
no accessible pathway to it. There are no designated handicap parking areas. There is a short unpaved
entrance road that leads to a large circular turn area and that is all. Parking is along this circular area.
My question is "Is the town required to make this park accessible to wheelchairs? Our All Citizens
Access Committee has requested that the town set up a committee to review the Master Plan to see if
anything needs to be changed and hopefully to proceed with putting in the accessible pathways. I am just
wondering if there is any legal basis that we can use to move this issue forward. As always, thanks for
your assistance, Maureen Steinmann
The town, under Title II of the ADA, is required to ensure that all of their activities, services and
programs are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Parks provide a service and/or
programs to their residents and visitors. So with that said,when the ADA was passed in 1990 with the
expectation that all the barriers were to be removed by 1995ish... Barriers included inaccessible routes,
stairs, and other architectural features that would make accessing that program impossible for people
with disabilities.
1
So if there is only grass provided as the route of travel, that would need to be remedied. If the gazebo
only has stairs, that would need to be remedied. If there is no designated accessible parking spaces, that
would need to be remedied.
The town runs the risk of a Title II complaint if barriers are still present.
2