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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 08/09/1982M I N U T E S COMMISSION ON DISABILITY AUGUST 90 1982 The regular meeting of the Commission On Disability was called to order by chairperson Bobbie Guye at 6:30 P.M. on Monday, August 9, 19820 in the new Municipal Building, 300 W. LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO. ROLL CALL: MEMBERS PRESENT: Eldon Decker, Bobbie Guye, Nancy Jackson, Rose- mary Kreston, Dorothy Lasley, Mike Meyers. MEMBERS ABSENT: Charlotte Kanode, Pat Crist, Betty Shuey. GUESTS: Bill i^tay, Harvey Betts from Disabled American Veterans. CITY STAFF: Linda Pretz MINUTES Dorothy Lasley made a motion that the reading of last month's min- utes be dispensed with and accepted as written. The motion was seconded and carried. LIAISON REPORTS Dorothy Lasley remarked she would be attending a meeting of the Community Action Board on Tuesday, August 17. Nancy Jackson suggested she take some form letters and petitions concerning the proposed re- visions in Section 504 regulations. DAV ACTIVITIES Bill Way and Harvey Betts from the Disabled American Veterans re- ported on their group's activities. The main concern of the organiza- tion is helping families of disabled veterans in financial and coun- selling needs. Other projects in which they are involved are the Spe- cial Olympics, Little League Softball, Handicapped Boy Scout Troops, and the County Fair Parade. Although poppy sales, dues, and the aux- iliary provide the principal means of financial support, the DAV also operates a thrift store located in the Linden Hotel on Walnut Street and they will gladly pick up any donated items. Bobbie Guye requested suggestions on how the COD and DAV could co- operate in matters concerning the disabled. One of the major difficul- ties the DAV has encountered is members being ticketed for utilizing handicapped parking spaces, mainly because the Fort Collins Police De- partment apparently doesn't recognize DAV license plates as a valid permit. Linda Pretz volunteered to check with the Police Department on the matter. Nancy Jackson gave Mr. ',•lay and Mr. Betts some of the parking reminders available to put on the windshields of vehicles vi- -1- COD AUGUST MEETING MINUTES - Page 2 olating use of reserved handicapped parking spaces. The DAV meets every third Thursday of each month at 7:00 P.M. in the VFW Post, 603 Lesser Drive, Fort Collins, CO. The meetings are open to the public. Contact Harvey Betts at 221-3285 for added in- formation. Bobbie Guye summarized the function of COD to the guests, and Dorothy Lasley explained the Architectural Barriers Removal Fund pro- gram. RESOURCE DIRECTORY Nancy Jackson reported that the Community Resource Directory was in the process of being proofed for submission to Linda Pretz's office to be typed. It is hoped it can be completed in approximately three weeks. Mike Meyers suggested using the art work from the poster for the Mayor's Awards Breakfast as a cover for the resource directory. He is continuing to investigate printing costs. 1,000 copies will be pub- lished, and each agency entry in the directory will receive a copy free of charge. If more are desired, the cost to them will be c'1 each. 04 LEGISLATION Nancy Jackson reiterated the activities of the 504 legislation sub -committee. The committee held meetings on July 21 and August 4, and had drafted a petition to be signed by the public. Form letters are also being sent to legislators. It was proposed that other letters be written to ,Nancy Reagan instead of the President. Guest opinions by committee members will be submitted to the news media. On September 11, U. S. Representative Hank Brown will be in Fort Collins to discuss the 504 revisions with local residents. At the September 13 Interagency Council meeting, Nancy Jackson and Mary MoczydlowsW will present a review of the 504 legislation, also. A public hearing on PL 94-142 is scheduled for September 20-21 in Denver at the Auraria Campus. The revisions for this all handicapped children education law have already been published, and the public comment period expires on November 2, 1982. Bill 'relay remarked that the DAV is sponsoring an all -day barbecue on September 26, to which they will invite all local political candi- dates. He suggested that COD members might like to attend, too, and present petitions as well as letters. The barbecue is to be held at the American Legion Hall on U.S. Hiway #287, and the cost is �2.50. Another approach to notifying legislators of the concern on 504 regulations is to telephone them, usually early in the morning is the most opportune time to reach them. The caller should then request a written reply from the legislator. ACCESSIBILITY RESEARCH TEAM Nancy Jackson stated that on August 2, she had conferred with a staff member of the Community Crisis Center, and they had reviewed the accessibility survey questionnaire to be sent out with the Crisis Cen- ter mailing for its resource directory. An estimated 250-300 will be -2- COD AUGUST MEETING MIPUTTES - Page 3 dispatched sometime during October. Returned questionnaires are to be examined and if any questions remain as to the accessibility of an agency, the accessibility research team will contact them or make an on -site visit. Members for the team are being recruited from service clubs. MAYOR'S AWARDS BREAKFAST Mike Meyers reported the sub -committee for the Mayor's Awards Breakfast met on July 30 and August 9 to make further plans. The break- fast will be on Wednesday, October 6, 1982, at 7:00 A.M. in the Lud- low Room of the Lincoln Center, which has a capacity of 200. Linda Pretz has already reserved it and paid the 140 charge. She thought she has a list of those persons who were invited to the IYDP Break- fast last year, and will send it to Bobbie Guye. Bobbie and Nancy Jackson are responsible for writing the invitations which will be sent in mid -September. Bobbie has submitted press releases to both the Coloradoan and Fort Collins Review newspapers. Follow-ups will be periodically sent, as well as asking radio stations to air public service announcements. Mike is contacting prominent citizens to again be disabled role- players for the day. It was decided that Care -A -Van should be utilized as a means of transportation. A panel discussion will follow the con- tinental breakfast, composed of employed handicapped persons. Mike read the guidelines for submitting applications which Bobbie had drafted. They were given to Linda Pretz to be printed up. Be- cause publicity is not too widely spread yet, the deadline for submit- ting applications was changed from September 1 to September 15. Dorothy Lasley volunteered to contact the Poudre R-1 Art Direc- tor to request that a poster designing contest be presented to school age children. Mike will finish wording the poster. ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION The actual sub -committee for studying accessible mass transpor- tation in Fort Collins has not formally met, but Nancy Jackson plans to meet with Marj Walsh of Care- A -Van on August 13 to discuss how our groups can better work together. A letter of inquiry has been sent to a contact in Salt Lake City, Utah, who had described his city's adoption of private transportation sources to accommodate the dis- abled population. On August 19, a public hearing will be held at 7:00 P.M. in the City Council Chambers, 300 W. LaPorte Avenue, for the purpose of com- menting on the current transit development program to purchase 9 new buses. It was thought it expedient for some members of the COD to at- tend the meeting and introduce having lifts installed on at least a third of the new buses so that there could be one on each of the major routes. The DAV pledged their support. TEMPORARY PARKING PERMITS Nancy Jackson submitted the proposal to Linda Pretz for obtain- ing temporary parking permits through the city to be used by those disabled individuals who plan to be in the area for only a short time, or who are suffering temporary disability. All local law -enforcement groups as well as the State :Motor Vehicle Registration Department have agreed to adopt the program. The permits will be drafted and signed by Chief Of Police Ralph Smith, then memos sent to all patrol COD AUGUST MEETING MINUTES - Page 4 officers. The Police Department had requested that the placards be placed in rear windows of vehicles. However, it was the consensus of opinion that it was more convenient for disabled citizens to carry them in the windshield. This will be remedied in the memo to officers, also. Temporary parking permits are to be printed by the city, and distributed through the Handicapped Information Office, where appli- cation forms will also be available. ACCESSIBLE PARKS A letter was received by Mayor Gary Cassell from Arvid Bloom, pro- posing that the city Parks Department consider making local parks more accessible to disabled patrons. Members of COD have been asked to make suggestions, and some of those already mentioned were more convenient parking, modifications on picnic tables to accommodate wheelchairs, paving a trail around the City Park lake, accessible restrooms, and trimming trees so that they are not a hazard to blind persons. $6,000 is available to make accessibility improvements throughout the city. Other ideas included installing ramps at bus stops. Bobbie Guye will invite representatives of the Parks and Engineer- ing Departments to the October COD meeting so that these and other proposals may be presented and discussed. BARRIER REMOVAL FUNDING Bobbie Guye and Mike Meyers presented a grant proposal to the City Council on July 20 to request $259000 from the Community Development Block Grant for the purpose of continuing the architectural barriers removal program for disabled residents of Fort Collins. The Council plans a work session in September and will make a final decision at that time. The COD will be duly notified. In the meantime, some thank you letters have been received from clients who have benefitted from improvements made in their homes under the program, and these will be submitted to the local newspapers as "Letters To The Editors". It was thought it appropriate that copies be sent to Council members also. News releases are being submitted to local newspapers, and Mike is designing flyers and a display advertisement. NEW EY-OFFICIO Linda Pretz disclosed that she had accepted a position as personnel director for the city of Greeley, and will no longer be serving as COD liaison with the city of Fort Collins.Persons mentioned as replacements were Suzy Danford of the Parks and Recreation Department and Felix Lee. Linda plans to investigate and let Bobbie Guye know who the new liaison contact will be. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Dorothy Lasley made a motion that the meeting be adjourned at 8:12 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Eldon Decker, Secre£ary Bobbie Guye, Aairperson