Weaverville – There is no specific budget for the Weaverville’s ADA Transition Plan Jennifer Jackson, Weaverville Town Attorney, told the Tribune.
The Town of Weaverville passed the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan on June 22 at the town council June meeting to increase physical accessibility to municipal facilities, programs, activities, and services.
The “…general purpose of this plan is to ensure that all citizens” (no matter their physical limitations) “have access to municipal facilities, programs, activities and services.” The plan was prepared by WithersRevenel of Asheville. The transition plan has four key parts:
1. Identify physical obstacles
2. Identify methods to remove barriers
3. Specify a schedule to take necessary steps to achieve compliance
4. Indicate the official responsible for carrying out the plan.
“The ADA Transition Plan was recently adopted along with a first year’s budget of $8,000. There is not a specific budget, or even a good estimate, for the entire 5-year plan,” said Jackson, who is the ADA Coordinator and responsible for carrying out the Transition Plan. “It is my understanding that the work that will be slated for future years will be considered on an annual basis at budget time.”
The engineering firm of WithersRavenel analyzed the town’s infrastructure for compliance with the ADA from an architectural and physical barrier perspective and found “…94 of 146 locations resulting in one or more…” significant failures.
Some of the failures note include:
Fire Department Barriers
* Doors to building’s public entrance require excessive force to open.
* Male/female accessible bathroom doors require excessive force to open.
* Bathroom coat hooks set too high.
* Male/female bathroom sinks are installed at an inaccessible height.
* Water fountain spout is too high for accessible use.
Public Works Department
* Fire alarm does not include strobe lights.
* Northeastern accessible space did not meet the dimensions required by van accessible parking spaces.
Water Treatment Plant
*No van-accessible space located at the water plant.
* No curb ramp access from the parking lot to the building.
Again, these are just a few of the deficiencies mentioned in the report.
Editor’s note: Abi Cole, our intern, contributed to this report.