Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 09/09/1985• • CITY OF FORT COLLINS COMMISSION ON DISABILITY M I N U T E S COMMISSION ON DISABILITY September 9, 1985, 6:30 p.m. The regular meeting of the Fort Collins Commission on Disability was called to order by Chairperson Ted May at 6:40 p.m., September 9, 1985 in the Council Information Center, City Hall. Members Present: Judy Siefke, Nancy Jackson, Marilyn Maxwell, Ted May, Charlotte Kanode, Barbara Guye, Betty Shuey, Betty Pidcock, Rosalie Smith, Bill Bertschy Members Absent: Penne Powers -Thomas Staff Liaison: Jackie Davis Council Liaison: Councilmember Kelly Ohlson Staff Secretary: Carmen Hollowell Guests: Arnie Henderson, Martin Luther Homes Jack Gianola, Special Projects Manager Jean Helberg, Recreation Superintendent Jeff Kean, Facilities Manager Ted mentioned that at the last meeting the Commission had considered amending the by-laws so that the staff secretary would take the minutes in order to allow members to fully participate in the discussions. Ted made a motion to amend the by-laws; Maryiln seconded and it passed unanimously. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND SPEAKERS Ted introduced Arnie Henderson who works with Martin Luther Homes. Mr. Anderson was present in order to better acquaint himself with COD. Ted introduced the following people who are working on the Pool and Ice Rink project: Jack Gianola, Special Projects Manager, Jean Helberg, Recreation Superintendent and Jeff Kean, Facilities Manager. Ted asked the Commission members if they had any questions for them. ........... I ­___ --- - I Vl. •/V��II W� IVVIVI.VV UVJ.Q . lJ llJl"1-0," Commission on Disability Minutes - September 9, 1985 Page-2 Jack reported that the project is under construction and the footings and foundations are completed. The streets are being built and the building will be erected shortly. Bids should be received at the end of the month and staff will go to Council on October 15. Nancy asked if there is a lift for access into the therapeutic pool and Jack said it is a set of portable steps. There is a ramp into the big pool and in addition to the ramp there are the steps. Jack asked the members if they preferred raised or indented lettering on the signs. His architects have included indented lettering in the plans and Jack wanted permission from the Commission to go along with that. Charlotte and Betty S. said it did not matter as long as the signage was of sufficient indentation and height. The Commission agreed that indented signage would be acceptable. A conceptual rendering and blueprints of the ice rink were brought to the meeting for the members to review. After the meeting they will be available for review from 8:00 - 4:30 at the CDBG Office, 200 W. Mountain Ave. READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the August 12 meeting were approved with the following corrections: Page 3, Building Plans Review, should read "...there are two handicapped spaces designated for the grocery store." LIAISON AND SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Kelly mentioned that he wanted to get feedback from the Commission. He reminded them that the 1:7 housing issue would be on the City Council preliminary agenda for Tuesday, September 17, 1985 and urged them to attend and to be prepared for opposition from the public. It will come up either 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. Nancy mentioned that she got the impression at the last meeting that it would not be addressed at the City Council meeting and wondered why it would be now. Kelly mentioned that perhaps Felix Lee put it on the agenda in order to get clear Council direction and this way staff will get clarificaton of the State law. Nancy mentioned that in conversation with Linda Hopkins, the attorney for the City of Fort Collins did not feel that this issue would affect the development of the ANSI standards guidelines, and therefore, it was taken off the City Council agenda. Kelly asked if the Commission had taken any formal action on this issue. Ted stated that a letter signed by all the members dated June 10, 1985 had been sent out and he would see that a copy was in the City Council packets. Kelly was concerned that the COD minutes at times indicate problems exist on different City projects regarding handicapped accessibility Commission on Disability Minutes - September 9, 1985 Page-3 and wondered if the members were getting sufficient information on these projects. He stated that it seems like things are being overlooked by the appropriate City staff. For instance, Kelly wondered how a handicapped person would get into Pott's once you get down the ramp where there is a curb cut right off to the side. Bobbie said that handicapped persons can only get in through the kitchen. Kelly said it's things like this that absolutely should not exist and somehow staff did not catch it. He said that staff needs to do these things right, especially when making structures accessible. Nancy wasn't sure if Pott's had been remodeled or if it has always been that way. Rosalie asked what avenues they could take to correct problems such as these? Kelly said these problems need to be addressed before the actual work is done. Nancy said that for the last couple of weeks members have been trying to find out more about the different departments, like Planning, Zoning and Building Inspection and what each department's function is. and the COD is getting more help from the Zoning Department on reviewing plans. Nancy doesn't think that remodel plans have to be reviewed. Kelly mentioned that if health violations need to be brought up to code, so do handicapped accessibility violations. Nancy suggested inviting Peter Barnes, Zoning Administrator, to the next meeting. Kelly thought that was a good idea. Ted said the COD needs to check on the differences between remodeling and renovation work. Kelly said his only concern was that too many things are "falling through the cracks" that shouldn't be and COD should send staff a strong message to that effect. Senior Board Nancy reported that the Senior Board members are organizing the Fort Collins Senior Task Force to identify study issues of concern to senior citizens. The committee includes three members from the Senior Board, the City Liaison to the Senior Board, and representatives from the Women's Task Force. Elections were held and Barbara Kienholz was elected chairperson, Ruby Lynch - Vice -Chair, and Paula Markowitz Secretary. It was announced that John Daggett is the new Director of SAINT. The issue of drivers' insurance was discussed and the board members were alarmed to find that SAINT drivers need to have enough coverage not only for themselves but also for their passengers. Ruby Lynch, who is a driver for SAINT, was not under that impression. Ed Chilott discussed the necessity for setting a dollar limit on insurance awards resulting from lawsuits in order to contain the increasing cost of insurance premiums. He has sent letters to Hank Brown and James Beatty. The response was that this issue needs to be addressed collectively by organizations or agencies that represent a large body Commission on Disality • Minutes - September 9, 1985 Page-4 of people. The Senior Board did send a letter to this effect to Mayor Rutstein on July 29. A letter was also sent to Ron Strahle urging him to resubmit House Bill 1083 which provides some limits on liaibility. The next meeting is scheduled for September 11. Handicapped Advisory Committee Beth Davies, who was a guest speaker at this meeting and who is a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee, reported that she had just concluded a survey of the public schools in Loveland regarding their accessibility. Her findings indicate that only 1 of the 25 schools was correct in areas of parking and accessible entrances. Ms. Davies plans to attend the School Board meeting on September 19 to discuss handicapped accessibility with them. SAINT has submitted a proposal to the Loveland City Council requesting $6,000 for a 6-month program. The funding would cover the director's salary, telephone, office supplies and other costs. Marj Walsh, Care -A -Van Director, attended this meeting and offered to consolidate the Fort Collins SAINT program, the Loveland's proposed program, and VSP's transportation system under Care -A -Van. Her claim is that it would save money for the two cities to have one transportation system. Nancy will report more on this after the Loveland City Council makes a decision on whether they are going to fund the $6,000 proposal. The Handicapped Advisory Committee has submitted a request to the Loveland Community Development Block Grant Office for an Architectural Barrier Removal (ABR) Program in the amount of $35,000. They propose to use $10,000 for administration costs and $25,000 for actual projects. Nancy reported that she got word last week that $20,000 had been awarded to the RAC for an ABR Program. In conjunction with the ABR program, Ralph Alexander has volunteered to help review the applicants' residences and develop a design for their specific needs. Since the administration of the project would come under the Housing Authority, they do not want any administration monies going out for a staff person per se, which is why $20,000 was recommended. Regarding code changes, the Loveland City Liaison had circulated copies of a draft document for handicapped accessibility provisions to be incorporated in the proposed sight development standards. It looks like the sight development standards will be adopted as part of the zoning code for the City of Loveland by the end of the year. Nancy thought that if the City of Fort Collins operates on the same basis, this is something that should also be looked at by the Commission. This issue might help to see that things don't "fall between the cracks", as Kelly had mentioned. HAC has also been working on parking space revisions and their plans include giving warning tickets to offenders for a certain length of time before actually ticketing the person. Commission on fability Minutes - September 9, 1985 Page-5 Section 504 The Transit Advisory Committee had a meeting on September 6. The last chapter of the transit report was submitted by the consultants for the committee's review and will go before City Council on September 17. There were no changes regarding the date studies, nor were there any changes in the reference information on the wording regarding "institutionalization." Rose had submitted a letter to Rita Davis, Transfort Manager, with comments on this matter. Nancy thought it would be a good idea to send a copy to Kelly, as it really points up something that is a real deficit about old studies and terminology that is used. Nancy also mentioned that she and Bobbie had attended the dedication of the handicapped playgroud at Rolland Moore Park. They both felt it was a very well -designed playground. Building Plans Review The August 15 plans review meeting included The Latterday Saints Church and the Watkins Apartments. The church is an existing building that has an addition and some remodeling. It was difficult to distinguish if the steps were existing or a remodel. Mauri Rupel attended the last few minutes of the meeting and reported that in about 6 months he will have the street and sidewalk manual finished and ready for our review. Debbie Kaesner from the Building Inspection Dept. was at this meeting to give input on what to look for in the plans. At the plans review of August 29 Bonnie Tripoli, of the Community Development Dept., showed the members the street and sidewalk plans for the 400 block of S. College. This will be the location of the new Safeway store and highrise. Nancy said these meetings were very informative. Tom Fisher, Civil Engineer, spoke with Nancy on August 16 regarding the West Town Park, which is located on Overland Trail. There is a park at the west end and a natural habitat at the east end with a connecting bike trail. He called about parking spaces at the west end. Plans haven't been submitted yet to Building Inspection; but that is something that the building plans review committee will be reviewing at a later date. Peter Barnes will talk with Cimarron West Apartment owners regarding the problem of the location of handicapped parking spaces in relation to the existing ramp. It has been difficult to determine if there is a violation. Jackie noted that the PUD for Cimarron West was initially approved two years ago, which may be the reason for the lack of information. Commission on Disability Minutes - September 9, 1985 Page-6 Nancy will write a letter to Linda Hopkins regarding the 1:7 housing ratio. The Streets and Traffic buildings on 700 Wood Street will soon be remodeled and be made handicapped accessible. Handicapped parkings spaces will also be installed. The buildings will be reopened in May or June. Rose, Bobbie and Nancy will meet with Steve White, Project Manager, on September 11 to discuss the City's priority list of 15 buildings to be made accessible. They will report back after that meeting. ABRF Applications Jackie reported that two applications had been received in September. Mary Herrera, an elderly woman who was in the hospital and is now home, needs a handrail that leads down to her basement. Gertrude Roberts needed a handheld shower, which has been ordered. NEW BUSINESS Mayor's Awards Breakfast Committee Reports Judy and Bobbie talked about the agenda for the breakfast and the videotape of the simulations. Rosalie is going on vacation but will be back the week before the Breakfast. She will take care of the transportation needs before she leaves. Betty Pidcock and Betty Shuey are working on the coloring contest. They asked for suggestions for a theme. Schools that have been involved with the handicapped in some way will be asked to participate. Nancy reported that cheese, danish, butter, jam, etc. have been donated from various stores and that she is waiting to see if a ham will also be donated. Ted made a motion that members give $2-3 for the purchase of mums, boutonnieres and a centerpiece. Marilyn seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Bobbie made a motion that the Dorothy Lasley Award be given this year to those people who dedicate themselves to working with the handicapped. Nancy seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Commission on Disalkity • Minutes - September 9, 1985 Page-7 Bobbie will continue to represent the Commission on Disability on the Community Development Block Grant Citizens Steering Committee for FY 1985. Meeting Adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ted May, Chairman Carmen Hollowell, Secretary NOTE: Staff checked the agenda for the September 17 City Council Meeting and the 1:7 Housing Issue is not included.