Bend May Seek Delay In ADA Requirements
With over 7,000 curbs and 150 bus stops to go, the city of Bend says there’s no way it can meet an accessibility requirement five years from now.
The city has until 2014 to make those many improvements for citizens with disabilities, such as sloped curbs and bus stops.
It was only this past July that Bend’s former mayor and a county commissioner participated in an experimental event called “Disabled for A Day.”
Traveling around Bend in wheelchairs, they tested out curbs, ramps and other obstacles some disabled folks encounter every day.
As part of a 2004 legal settlement, the city agreed to make thousands of improvements to city owned properties, roads and places where city functions could be held by 2014.
Braille signage, listening devices and restroom counter tops, for example, have been fixed and comply.
“The only remaining element in that settlement is the curb ramp/sidewalk part,”city Accessibility Manager Linda Crossman said Monday.
Shesays it’s a long list, and with two rounds of city layoffs last year,there are fewer people to get it done.
Only 97 curbs in Bend make the cut at present. The rest, a whopping 8,000, need to be improved. And 150 more bus stops need fixing as well.
But Crossman says it’s not realistic to think it’ll all get done in five years, at a cost of over $30 million.
“It really is an issue,” Crossman said. “The city has faced a number of cuts. We’re looking again at how we can deliver services so we meet some of these legal requirements. We’re also hoping through the federal stimulus package there might be some money there.”
She says the city attorney may ask for an extension from the Department of Justice, or just a new plan to show duediligence on the city’s part.
Crossman stressed the importance of this work as improvements the whole community benefits from, not just those with a disability.
At Wednesday night’s city council work session, the Department of Public Worksagain will be addressing this topic and concerns about the funds to do it.
