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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDisability Advisory Board - Minutes - 05/20/2021Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 1 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 1. CALL TO ORDER Terry Schlicting called to order at 5:33pm 2. ROLL CALL Present: Terry Schlicting, Anna Fuller, Linda Drees, Rachel Knox-Stutsman, Mandy Morgan, Marilee Boylan Board Members Absent: Davina Lau, Sami Peterson, Joe Tiner, Staff Members Present: Carol Thomas, Dave Mullin, Jerediah Burianek Guests: Fred Haberecht (CSU), Aaron Fodge (CSU), Erika Benti (CSU), Britt Otter (SDC CSU) 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Correct date in header to April. b. Motion to approve by Terry, Second by Anna, Unanimously Approved, Mailee abstained 5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. None 6. PRESENTATION Transfort/Parking Services: Service Plans and Dial-A-Ride (Dave Mullin, Jerediah Burianek) a. What is Conditional Approval? i. Conditional approval is “certain conditions”, for example a person from another jurisdiction, or approved during certain temperatures/snow/weather. b. How is that determination made and what is the timeframe? i. Based on the individual, and their ability to access the transit system, and what mobility device are they using. Weather based is typically the day before, based on the same source, such as weather.com. It is determined based on needs of individuals. c. Do you have a rough estimate of what percentage of clients are approved for Conditional versus Unconditional? i. Very small number of conditional versus unconditional Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 2 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 d. Service area around Trilby? How are services allocated as it relates to fixed bussed routes i. Outlined in the ADA for ¾ of a mile from the fixed bus routes. Trilby and Lemay, for instance has not stop, so the closest will be Trilby and College. A person can be dropped off at the point of end of service, even without a fixed address. e. Is FLEX considered a fixed route? i. FLEX is a regional connector so it is exempt. f. Dial-a-ride provides door-to-door, but they were unwilling to drop off at the nearest intersection that was inside of the service boundary. Was told she needed an exact address or no service at all. i. May have been an issue with a contractor who provided the service, Dave will follow up with Kaylee and get back to DAB. ii. Also requires there be certain safety factors considered when dropping off. g. Will the new Behavioral Health Building be accessible via public transportation i. Unaware of current conversations. h. Any discussion for paratransit that can connect the FLEX route to Loveland? i. Not currently, suggests “Dial-a-taxi” that allows a ride from inside service area to outside of service area i. What is the difference between Dial-a-TAXI versus Dial-a-RIDE? i. Dial-a-Ride is the city’s paratransit service, follows ADA ii. Dial-a-Taxi is beyond, available first come, first come, same day trip. The city pays a portion of the fair, but the remaining fair for the distance is on the individual. Accessible vehicles are available, but not always guaranteed. iii. Two different software systems are used for each j. Is it still z-trip for Dial-a-Ride? i. Yes, at least until the end of their contract, every 5 years. k. Application process requires a call, mail, and then fill it out and return it? Why is it a paper form? Any thought about making it more accessible, maybe even electronic? This application creates multiple barriers to access service. Process should be streamlined. i. Dave will note that suggestion, it makes more sense ii. Any service the city provides, we will provide auxiliary aids for services, so if anyone is unable to fill out, read, or process the application; the city will provide aid to do so. It does require that the aid is requested, and it may Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 3 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 need to be stated more clearly that aid is available to remove this as a barrier. The requirement of having a medical professional to sign off on the verification of disability will still be required. iii. Some streamlining has taken place, but they may look at an “in-person assessment” to eliminate additional barriers l. BRITT: College students with Disabilities, transportation during covid has been a larger challenge, and the accessible van that was available on campus is no longer available. Would like to coordinate services with the City of Fort Collins to assist with students with disabilities and temporary injuries. Would like to have folks who are more qualified and knowledgeable within Transportation and travel to be running this program for CSU students on/near campus. m. Conditional is problematic while bus routes have minimal times during covid, ending early means Dial-a-Ride is the only option sometimes n. When will Transfort resume regular service hours? o. Because of a 5% budget reduction, the rest of 2021 will likely be minimal hours. Hoping to reinstate full hours this fall. p. Will the Green and Gold route be implemented again i. Green was discontinued before, but Gold will return, and Dial-a-Ride will then apply when that route is back. Dave will check with Kaylee on time constraints. q. Is this County specific? Denver has not been cut down in service times i. Each is specific to individual transportation services, RTD did make cuts and layoffs, but what TransFort has had to do due to covid is not out of the ordinary. ii. RTD has a dedicated tax (in Denver) that funds them. r. Notes from Dave: i. Routes 11 and 12 will come back June 14th, and full frequency of route 16. ii. One problem with brining back services is to be able to hire additional staff, but there are minimal applications coming in currently. s. Has there been discussion to add a tax to Fort Collins? i. Yes, hopefully it will be on a ballot soon t. Bus stop upgrades? u. Some stops have been prioritized and waiting for contractors to come and do installations. It is a priority. Senior center stop and 15 others will have shelters as soon as they are available. v. How many stops will be made accessible this year? Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 4 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 i. Between 40-50 were slated for this year, but it may be reduced because of timing w. Will we ever see the full coverage shelters where you can go completely inside? i. Not currently planning on any ii. That contract was ended through the city before and some objective criteria un-included those stops iii. The City Plan has consistency with stop appearances, that tell riders which are fixed bus stops or not. Eventually all will have shelters of some type. x. Number of passengers that are eligible? i. Total clients 1,526 (unconditional, conditional, and temporary conditional) ii. 0 are temporary conditional, 15 that are conditional, the remaining are unconditional y. Who will follow up about decision making around application process, what the requirements are, what someone should do if the application isn’t accessible? i. Dave and Carol will request Kaley Zeisel to join for a future meeting and present. ii. RideTransFort.com lists regulations, and planned/completed stops, overseen by Brenda Barnes (upgrade program) z. Notes from Dave: i. Back to full capacity on busses now ii. TransFort continues to require masks due to federal mask requirements under TSA, may change beforehand, but currently set to end in September. CSU President’s Vision Zero Task Force: Vision Zero Efforts (Erika Benti, Aaron Fodge, Fred Haberecht) aa. What is Vision Zero? i. Strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries in road users ii. International movement since 1990’s iii. Commitment requires: 1. Leadership, collaboration and accountability 2. Highest level agrees this is a priority 3. Data is transparent 4. Community engagement and equity lens 5. Sets a date to aim for zero deaths on the roads Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 5 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 iv. CSU will be the first University to sign on, City of Fort Collins is currently working towards it v. How it will be implemented at CSU 1. Started in Sept 2019 “Safety Task Force” was created, now Vision Zero Task Force 2. Policy Recommendations to be considered on campus: a. Infrastructure b. Policy c. Enforcement d. Education vi. Benefits: 1. Proactive and measurable step to attaining zero traffic deaths or serious injuries 2. Institutionalize a transparent process for evaluation 3. Aligned with sustainability initiatives 4. Positive public relations statement that safety is a priority for CSU students/staff and local community bb. Milestones to Implement Vision Zero at CSU 1. Data Collection and Reporting 2. Transparent Investment Prioritization 3. Vision Zero Goal Measurement ii. Milestone 1: Complete Streets: Create and adopt complete streets standards iii. Milestone 2: Annual Safety Assessment: Establish annual safety assessment of campus sidewalks and trails iv. Milestone 3: Crash Evaluation Reporting: Establish crash evaluation process v. Milestone 5: CSU Conceptual Review: Establish ongoing screening through internal conceptual review of new construction and remodels vi. Milestone 4: Annual Traffic & Safety Prioritization Report: Develop annual safety and prioritization report for CSU vii. Milestone 6: Administrative Evaluation of Vision Zero Milestone(s) Feedback and Discussion cc. How much does Vision Zero include arteries bordering campus? Example: Pitkin and College or Shields and Pitkin, tough spots at Laurel and Shields near Diversity House. And what are the borders of campus currently? Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 6 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 i. Perimeter of campus is in the purview of this program, and will work with the city in all stages, and would like specific assessments on edges of campus through committee work ii. City’s bicycle and pedestrian safety plans needs to identify those areas as priorities dd. When drivers are turning right and looking left, and not seeing people in the crosswalk, will more raised curbs be installed? i. More to add for sure, Washington and Laurel is one example of how the raised curb works. College is a challenge in having space to have them installed. East Elizabeth and College has potential for raised curbs ii. We are needing to collect experiences of “near misses” from community members through the online information gathering process ee. Is there funding attached to Vision Zero for recommendations? Do you have power to implement changes that may be recommended? i. More leverage that they have had in the past, if Vision Zero can bring them together under the umbrella of the task force, the President should consider necessary budget needs to make changes. ii. $300K has been allocated as basic funding to fund the task force. Some funding came from ASCSU. Hopeful that there will be progress under this task force. ff. Trains and train signals? i. Quiet zone efforts in the past have been brought up, but no efforts are currently being taken to remove the signals/whistles gg. Ice and Snow removal that builds up and prevents sidewalk use? i. CSU has staff to remove snow by 5am after the snow event, unknown what the City does ii. Sidewalks and Roads end up shoveling snow on to each other, there is a crew that is specific to clearing off sidewalk ramps hh. Upcoming active transportation plan there will be a look at corridor and crossings near campus, to ensure there is a refuge when crossing a big street/intersection ii. BRITT: A CSU staff member was hit by a bus on campus, it was reported to a CSU officer. The individual was told to watch where they were going. The report appeared to be biased, rather than looked at from a safety angle. i. Aaron will follow up and look into the issue and if there are safety things that could have impacted the report Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 7 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 ii. Data collection needs to include police reports that pertain to “near misses” jj. Has there been a needs assessment to go out to students/staff? i. They are developing a tool that will allow for reporting and then a campaign around the tool “Rams taking care of Rams” to report known challenges on campus with infrastructure, near misses, etc ii. Assessments make a difference, they produce funding to make accessibility adjustments on campus kk. Sidewalk when leaving transit center going north, but there is no ramp on the other side, and where the other busses coming through, and you get caught in the middle of busses ll. Are you looking at crossing signals with audible sounds on campus? Specifically behavioral sciences crossing one way to general services i. It’s part of the plan, but none are specifically targeted pre-assessment mm. DAB suggests prioritizing Audible Crosswalks, will help students with visual impairments to navigate campus and parameter. Suggests starting at Mason/Lake, Pitkin/Mason, right along Mason trail (CSU property, under easement of the City- maintained by City, but inner-governmental agreements exist for specific upgrades and maintenance) 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Training Ideas: Office of Employment First b. How can we encourage the City to employ people with disabilities? c. Marilee contacted the Office of Employment First, and they are willing to do a training, would need to decide who that training would go out to. They do education and outreach for cross-disability. Needs to learn what they have to offer for trainings. d. Carol suggests going through the HR Business Partners who work with each department through the hiring process. Suggests the Office of Employment First provide the training directly to HR. e. How can we encourage the city beyond “equal access to applying” to actually hiring people with disabilities (similar to “schedule A” hiring by the federal government)? f. Driver’s license requirement, needs to add “do you have access to transportation” if the position does not apply directly to the type of employment. Thursday, May 20, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Access via City Hall, 300 LaPorte Avenue 5/20/2021 – MINUTES Page 8 DISABILITY ADVISORY BOARD (formerly COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 i. The City went through a big job description project to go through and identify “essential job duties,” which includes driver’s license requirement. They are essential for some positions, like bus operators. There is a process for reasonable accommodations- which are addressed after a job offer because it often contains individual health information. ii. Terry assisted with another company that added “ability to travel” to the application process. g. Larimer County had goals about hiring people with disabilities, and use to meet regularly, may be good to consult with them to understand what the county is doing. We can help the City with their Diverse Workforce goal. h. Marilee: State bill that creates a pilot program for more preference points for folks with disabilities. i. Would like to see real initiative to hire people with disabilities, still must meet essential job duties, but how do we get disabled people integrated into the workforce at the city. j. What do partnerships between the City and DVR and other supporting agencies look like? k. Would be great to highlight any changes in October l. Would like to check that off of the DAB work plan m. Concerned about if employers don’t want to take the time to provide accommodations, they will simply hire someone else. What ends up happens is a person begins to downplay their disability rather than selling their ability to do the job and what skills they bring n. Next Steps: i. Carol & Marilee will consult with agencies and report back. 8. OLD BUSINESS 9. ADJORNMENT a. Announcements: i. June 7th, the City Facilities will be opening, option to meet in person, zoom, or hybrid ii. Council just announced new liaisons, DAB will be Mayor Arndt Terry Schlicting called to adjourn at 7:33. Next meeting will be June 17th, 2021, on zoom.