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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 01/14/1985CITY OF FORT COLLINS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM M I N U T E S COMMISSION ON DISABILITY Monday, January 14, 1985, 6:30 p.m. The regular meeting of the Commission on Disability was called to order by Chairperson Bobbie Guye at 6:40 p.m. on Monday, January 14, 1985, at the Old Fire Station, 232 Walnut Street, Fort Collins, Colorado. Members Present: Betty Pidcock, Betty Shuey, Rosalie Smith, Penne Powers Thomas, Eldon Decker, Bobbie Guye, Nancy Jackson, Judy Siefke, Bill Bertschy Members Absent: Charlotte Kanode City Staff: Diana Royval APPROVAL OF MINUTES Nancy Jackson requested a correction of the December 10, 1984 minutes, page 2, to read that the owner of Park Plaza had responded regarding the handicapped ramp and the parking lot space. LIAISON AND SUB -COMMITTEE REPORTS SENIOR BOARD Nancy Jackson reported on the December 12, 1984 Senior Board meeting. Kelly Ohlson, City Councilmember and the Senior Board Staff Liaison, was present. Discussion was held on the Property Tax Freeze Program which would freeze pro- perty taxes for senior citizens. Kelly Ohlson pointed out that senior citizens generally do not lose their homes due to property taxes. He saw the need for specific guidelines and a study of the program to determine it senior citizens are already being served by other programs. He 'expressed concern about the loss of revenue and pointed out there is a 7% tax increase ceiling. Feasibility of the Tax Freeze Program was discussed -and.it was recommended__ that the Senior Board study and look at a more refined program. At this meeting Nancy Jackson also highlighted COD concerns about the ramp project. The Senior Board- stated they -would --write -a letter to City --staff urging evaluation and remedial repair work to ramps of questionable construction.. P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, Colorado 80522 • (303) 221-6758 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM Commission on Diability Minutes - January 14, 1985 Page 2 Nancy continued with a report from the January 9, 1985 Senior Board meeting. Alma Vigo -Morales spoke on the Shared Housing Program, which matches home- owners with those needing homes. The project showed the following statistics: out of 62 total applicants, 58% were homeseekers, 42% providers, 68% female, 23% male, 18% no income, 82% lived within city limits, 18% lived outside city limits, 81% were able-bodied and 18% were disabled. Nine people were matched (homeseekers with providers). The Shared Housing Program in Fort Collins con- tinues to function, but the Loveland Program is not operating at this time. One problem is the reluctance of homeowners to actually share their homes. Ms. Vigo -Morales felt the program needs more applicants for increased success. A booklet on home sharing will be available in March. COD members voiced their concerns that the Shared Housing Program showed a low number of people matched for all the man-hours spent developing and administering the program. At this meeting, Suzanne Jarboe -Simpson, City Volunteer Coordinator, presented the "Adopt -a -Senior for the Winter" program. The program involves snow removal for the elderly and disabled by their neighbors and it includes a one- time only emergency snow removal call. The Senior Finder, a weekly Coloradoan feature contributed by the Senior Board, will have an informative article on the Loan Closet written by Nancy Jackson and Bobbie 6uye. The Senior Finder will feature an article on handicapped parking in the February 17, 1985 issue of the Coloradoan. 504 EVALUATION COMMITTEE City Ramp Project Mike Herzig, Assistant City Engineer, has been in touch with Nancy regarding city ramps. Some of the problems discussed were the poor texture on the ramps and the ramps not being constructed to code. Nancy stressed we would rather have fewer ramps which were more functional than numerous, unusable ramps. A copy of a letter from Mike Herzig to Rich Shannon, Deputy City Manager, regarding Handicap Code Enforcement, was read. to COD members. Mike highlighted three points in the letter: 1) He acknowledged that some ramps may be too slippery and asked us to identify these so the problem can be corrected. _ 2) The ,ramps at Remington and Mountain near the Senior Citizen Center are slippery in parts and he will attempt to correct them. 3) He could find no grate at Laurel and College which was dangerous for wheelchairs. (Nancy pointed out he was given the incorrect location and would be advised of the -correct one at -College & Mulberry._) Mike concluded the letter with assurances that he will continue to work with COD to develop ramp standards. Mauri Rupel, SID Coordinator (Special Improvement District), is beginning to revise the City standards manual which was last revised in 1981. Betty Pidcock questioned the origination of the ramp standards and Nancy will check on this. • Commission on Disability Minutes - January 14, 1985 Page 3 A letter was sent January 3rd by Lucy Tackle of the Senior Citizens Board to Mike Herzig to request correction of the potential hazard of certain ramps, especially at the southeast and southwest corners of Remington and E. Mountain and the ramp in front of the Remington Street entrance to the Downtown Community Center. Mike Herzig responded January 8th with assurances that the problem will be corrected. In the same letter he requested input from the Senior Board on the program for construction and repair of sidewalks in the city. COD members expressed interest in the program and Nancy will write to Mike Herzig to offer our input on the sidewalk project, as well. ACCESSIBILITY RESEARCH TEAM The manager of the K-Mart store has been in contact with Nancy about the installation of electric doors. Nancy has collected information on electric doors and will forward this data to the local and regional K-Mart managers. Foothills Fashion Mall spokeswoman Libbey Glass has reported the installation of one set of automatic doors at the southeast entrance near Penneys' and Orange Julius. Actording to Nancy and Rose Kreston who tested the doors, they work well and are located close to handicap parking spots. Nancy Jackson will send a thank -you note along with a request for handicap signs on posts. Rosalie Smith suggested the location of the automatic doors be included on the handicap parking signs and Bobbie Guye stated that a bigger and more visible automatic door symbol was needed. Rose Kreston and Nancy Jackson visited Park Plaza on January 3,- 1985. They will send a letter recommending that the first northwest parking space be designated as handicap parking and a ramp or curb cut be installed north of Daylight Donuts. Bobbie Guye has written a letter to Tom Frazier, General Services Director, to protest the delay of the City Hall signage project and the inapproriate "no smoking" signs. It has been over a year since the Commission submitted recommendations to the City for these signs. BUILDING PLANS REVIEW Diana Royval reported we have gotten two pages back so far on the plans that have been reviewed. It appears that UBC codes are being used over ANSI standards. Peter Barnes contacted Nancy Jackson and recommended that we circle all items in red that we felt were not within code. Within the next two months, a plans examiner will explain what to look for in blueprints, and we will be notified later of that date. • Commission on Disability Minutes - January 14, 1985 Page 4 The Santistevans' needs have been evaluated by the CDBG project manager and plans are underway for a bathroom remodel, handrails and exterior ramps at an estimated cost of $3,500. Violet Thorpe's request for wider doors into her bathroom and an exterior ramp was approved. The Sulema Poole bathroom addition is completed at a total cost of $9,330. Loretto Bishop is continuing to appeal her denial and her attorney has contacted the City to inquire about appealing to City Council. NEW BUSINESS Rosalie Smith presented the Resource Directory and suggested we revise the format. She presented several examples of local directories. After dis- cussion, the Commission decided to dispense with the Directory as the informa- tion is already being provided by the Handicapped Information Office. All future inquiries should be referred to the Handicapped Information Office. MISCELLANEOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS Bobbie Guye read a letter of resignation she received from Tim Kientz and also a letter she sent to Tim thanking him for his services and expressing regret at his resignation. Bobbie will send a letter to the City Council notifying them of Tim's resignation and requesting a new appointee. There is a rally January 15th at the Denver Public School Administration Building to urge Denver schools to integrate all disabled students with the able-bodied students. "Wine Fest III" will be held March 22, 1985 at the Lincoln Center in the Canyon West Room from 6 - 10 p.m. This is the major fundraiser for the Handicapped Information Office. The $10 ticket will allow the bearer to sample the wines from various wineries along with cheese, crackers and fruit. Door prizes will be given away. CSU Handicapped Awareness Days will begin with an Information Fair at the Foothills Fashion Mall March 2, 1985. The Handicapped Information Office will be represented by a booth displaying different services available; ie, handicap parking permit applications. Jerry Jewel will be performing at CSU as part of the Awareness Days. A CDBG proposal for a county -wide Architectural Barrier Removal Program has been submitted by the Larimer County Planning Department in conjunction with its Mobile Home Rehabilitation Program. Nancy Jackson, Rose Kreston Commission on Dislility Minutes - January 14, 1985 Page 5 and Diana Royval have been working on the program which will be administered by the County Planning Department if it is approved. The State Board will hold hearings in March and results should be known by summer of 1985. The HID (Handicapped Information Office) is working with the police department to provide awareness programs. Together they have come up with reminders for police to put on cars illegally parked in handicapped spaces. Samples of the forms were also distributed to COD members to help "remind" motorists. The Colorado Coalition for Persons with Disabilities is compiling a position paper to present to the Colorado State Legislature. They would like input from the public and ask that you include the bill number and sponsor if appli- cable. Nancy Jackson suggested that House Bill 1477 needs clarification and/ or uniform regulation. Eldon Decker asked for comments about last month's meeting concern that Council be appraised of problem areas by highlighting them in the minutes. It was decided that since copies of pertinent correspondence and the minutes are sent to Kelly Ohlson, the Council is being kept up to date on current events. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 0 ,n 7p Judy Siefke, Secretary