HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 04/26/2001COMMISSION ON DISABILITY
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
April 26, 2001
Council Information Center, City Hall West
h embers present: Alan Apt, Nancy Baker, Mark Beck, Laura Burnett, Diane Dittus, Kathryn
Johnson, Till Lancaster, Paul Ostrof, Ruth Bell Skogerboe, Susan Williams, Rob and Romola
Fritz, Steve Seefeld. Guests: Marty Tharp, City Council member and new COD Council liaison;
John Fischbach, City Manager; Steve Sutter; Kenneth Luby; Donna Schulte, Easter Seals; Lee
Carter, Project Action, Easter Seals, Lisa Lowder; Lee Winfield.
The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m. by the chairman, Nancy Baker, who then invited all
members and visitors to introduce themselves. Alan made a motion, and Rob seconded it, that
the minutes of the last meeting be approved as submitted. The motion carried.
Nancy reminded the members that at a previous, meeting we had discussed doing some type of
recognition for former COD members, including Bob Palmer, who served as a staff liaison prior
to his recent resignation. She has asked Laura to head up this effort. City staff has indicated that
the city sends members certificates about a month before they end their terms on a commission.
However, one former COD member has stated that he has not yet received such. Nancy asked
Laura to find out who to call concerning these certificates.
Alan reported on his recent employment subcommittee meeting. His group isplanning toprovide
a training session for city managers to help them learn how to hire handicapped employees. It
will be an intensive, two- to three-hour presentation including lunch, probably sometime in
September. This first presentation will be for city managers. At some point in the future, it could
also be presented to community employers as well.
On the topic of transportation, Nancy presented a hand-out that showed the comparison of
paratransit services in twelve cities that are comparable in size to Fort Collins. She noted that this
information showed that service provided by Fort Collins is comparable to that in the other
communities. Next, Lee Carter, the Community Transit Manager for Easter Seals Colorado in
Denver, told about Project Action, which is a collaboration between Easter Seals and the
Department of Transportation. A primary part of the program is a functional assessment to
determine who is eligible to use the paratransit system in Denver. This assessment covers both
cognitive and physical evaluations, and it also includes a personal interview to identify
qualifications that can override the physical assessment. For the disabled who are determined to
be eligible to ride fixed transit Project Action provides training in how to fide this system. It also
trains new drivers of both the fixed and paratransit systems and even identifies where curb cuts
are needed to enable the disabled to get to fixed routes. Safety concerns are a strong factor in
both the assessment and the training provided. In response to questions, she also indicated that
Denver and many other cities do not provide paratransit services anywhere outside of a 3/4 mile
corridor surrounding the fixed routes. By contrast, Dial -A -Ride services go anywhere in the city.
She indicated that many cities started out the way DAR is operated, but with steep increases in
costs, they have scaled back to something like the 3/4 mile corridor.
Referring back to our last meeting's discussion on the proposed strategic transportation plan,
Steve reported that when Route 99 is eliminated in Fort Collins, 528 rides will be lost. However,
with the improvements to other routes, 960 more rides will be gained, giving a net gain of 432
rides.
John Fischbach indicated that the city council is not yet ready to proceed with night Dial -A -Ride
Service. However, council members have informally indicated that if John can show them a
budget that incorporates this service, they would be receptive to including it in the funding for the
next two years. And in that case, it could be started in November. John indicated that he felt he
could submit such a budget. John also recommended that for the long term, the best plan for
obtaining adequate DAR funding would be for the Council to make DAR aprimary budget item,
leaving Transfort a secondary item.
COD members suggested that we send to the City Council a resolution stating that while we feel
the staff has done a good job on the proposed Strategic Transportation Plan, given the constraints
imposed, we are unable to support the plan because it omits evening and Sunday service. Alan so
moved, and Rob seconded this motion, and it passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Romola Fritz
Secretary