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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDisability Advisory Board - MINUTES - 03/17/20252/10/25– MINUTES Disability Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Monday, February 10, 2025 – 5:30 PM 300 Laporte Avenue and Microsoft Teams 1. CALL TO ORDER: 5:30 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – Linda Drees (Chair), Terry Schlicting (Vice Chair), Joseph Tiner, Amanda Morgan, Kristin White, Amber Kelley, Scott Winnegrad b. Board Members Absent – Rachel Knox Stutsman, Jaclyn Menendez c. Staff Members Present – Jan Reece d. Guest(s) – Patrick Malloy 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Pat Malloy – updates on Transfort accessibility for legally blind and gratitude for City response Patrick Malloy commended Eric Patton and Jan Reece on staying in communication with him regarding the concerns he raised at last month’s meeting regarding Transfort stops not being audibly announced, which is an issue for legally blind riders. Malloy noted Patton has committed to having all stops audibly announced by May and will examine the transit signage issues. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JANUARY 13, 2025 Amber Kelly made a motion to approve and Joe Tiner second the Motion for January 13, 2025, minutes as presented. The motion was approved unanimously. 6. BUDGET It was noted that the budget report was included in the Board’s packet. 7. GUEST PRESENTER a. Eric Patton – report on Transfort’s accessibility efforts Eric Patton, Transfort Senior Compliance Specialist, noted the Department of 2/10/25– MINUTES Transportation and Federal Transit Administration provide clear direction on how ADA is to be managed with public transit on buses and in transit facilities. He noted Transfort’s goal is to provide the best experience possible for all riders. In terms of accessibility improvements, Patton noted all stops will begin to be audibly announced beginning in May. Additionally, staff is auditing all routes for stop announcement volume. Patton commented on ADA signage issues throughout the Transfort system and noted that is being addressed as well with temporary bilingual signage that does meet ADA requirements and new consistent signage is being developed. Patton stated Transfort completed a major website redesign in 2024 and changes are ongoing to ensure it is as friendly as possible for all users. Patton also noted a fair amount of concrete work has been occurring at the Downtown Transit Center to replace uneven walkway pavers and aged or broken concrete. Work in 2025 will include pedestrian crossings, sidewalk connections, and street crossings. Patton noted Transfort has sought grant funding for bus stop improvements and the goal is to get all 416 bus stops in Transfort’s jurisdiction to meet ADA compliance; 382 are already there. Terry Schlichting asked if Transfort works with the City to identify sidewalk issues. Patton replied most of Transfort’s input goes into the immediate area around bus stops and they work with Engineering to coordinate improvements and improve sidewalk connections. Terrry stated he has been encouraging Transfort to create a map indicating which stops are fully accessible. Patton replied that map does exist on the Transfort website, which was pulled up for members to examine. Members discussed specific sites and Patton commented on the priority list for stop improvements. Members and staff discussed the best way to coordinate efforts on sidewalk improvements. White questioned the digital accessibility of the map, specifically noting the text colors. Patton replied he would bring those concerns to the website committee. Joe Tiner suggested including an alert with the map regarding sidewalk closure or construction. Joe Tiner discussed issues with the Transfort trip planner which does not save frequently visited addresses. b. Todd Dangerfield – report on DDA alley projects Todd Dangerfield, Downtown Development Authority Capital Project Manager, discussed the history of the DDA alley enhancement project noting 13 alleyways have undergone improvements since the pilot project in 2006. He stated the next alleys set for improvement are the East Mulberry Alley, in the 2/10/25– MINUTES block behind Big City Burrito, and Chestnut Street Alley, behind the Melting Pot, and the contract for both has been awarded to RVi Planning, formerly Russell Mills. Dangerfield discussed the overall design elements included in the alley projects and noted coordination with City utilities and other departments always occurs to update infrastructure where necessary. John Beggs, RVi Planning, discussed the existing conditions of the East Mulberry Alley and showed renderings of the plans for a pollinator-related design. He stated goals of the project include consolidating parking entrances with planting islands, consolidating trash and recycling enclosures, and improving lighting. Beggs discussed the existing conditions of the Chestnut Street Alley and showed renderings of the plans for an industrial-related design. He stated goals of the project include a focus on landscaping and lighting, and design components include an industrial beacon and steampunk pipes. A community member asked if there will be interpretive educational signage and/or wayfinding signage, and if so, whether different accessibility features are being considered. Beggs replied they will be working with Parks on signage and will include accessibility features. He noted many of the features will be tactile. A community member commented on the use of QR codes to provide verbal descriptions. Linda Drees asked if draught-tolerant plantings are being used. Beggs replied in the affirmative and stated they work with the Parks Department on all plantings. He noted there is always a focus on xeric and native species and the irrigation systems are all drip. Dangerfield noted the DDA contracts with City Parks to maintain all of its alleys as well as Old Town Square. Members discussed the use of smooth paver surfaces for the alleys. Dangerfield stated that has been a focal point for all projects. Terry Schlicting suggested the inclusion of corner mirrors to allow pedestrians to see if cars are coming down the alley. Dangerfield commented on the alley design aspects that aim to help with blind corners. 8. NEW BUSINESS a. Who from the Board is willing to assist with document formatting Chair Drees noted she was having difficulty formatting the Annual Report and was provided assistance by Kelley. White volunteered to assist with other formatting as needed and members discussed forming a template, or utilizing an existing Council template, for regularly produced documents. 2/10/25– MINUTES 9. OLD BUSINESS a. Amended 2025 Work Plan Reece noted the 2025 Work Plan was voted upon, accepted, and forwarded to the City Clerk’s Office. Chairperson Drees stated the amendment was related to a meeting with Hilary Herrmann, FC Lean. Amber Kelly made a motion, seconded by White, to postpone consideration of this item. The motion was adopted unanimously. 10. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS 11. STAFF REPORTS 12. OTHER BUSINESS a. Jan Reece Matt introduced himself as a local accessibility speaker, trainer, and consulting solutions provider. He stated he has an upcoming interview to sit on the Board. • ADA Coordinator Training Reece reported on attending a 3-day ADA Coordinator training during which service animals, transition plans, self-evaluations, and the duties of an ADA Coordinator were discussed. She noted there is a new person transcribing meeting minutes and suggested it could be helpful for members to introduce themselves prior to speaking. • DAB Applications Reece noted applications were received and interviews will be occurring on February 26th. • Message for DAB Regarding No Changes to Our Work Reece read a statement from City Manager DiMartino related to fostering a workplace where everyone feels safe and respected and remaining committed to inclusion, equity, diversity, and accessibility work. Scott Windegrad asked how the meeting minutes inclusions are prioritized and questioned whether AI might be a better tool. Community Member commented on the way he puts together his instruction format utilizing full transcripts. White noted there is a transcription option through Microsoft Teams and 2/10/25– MINUTES expressed distrust of AI in general. Joe Tiner noted the Board would still have the responsibility to review the minutes for accuracy whether transcribed by a person or AI. White noted the City organization would need to turn on the Teams transcription option as part of its subscription. Scott Winegrad expressed concern that the minutes, as written by a human, may not include all relevant information and suggested some type of AI transcription may be worth exploring. 13. ADJOURNMENT a. 7:18 PM Minutes approved by the Chairperson and a vote of the Board on XX/XX/XX Signature: