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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-DAC-2011-12-07DISABILITY ADVISORY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 12:15 p.m. December 7, 2011 PRESENT: DAC Chair — Roberts DAC Vice Chair - Gizewski DAC Members: David McElrath Erin Sember -Chase Otis Jackson Andrew Rappaport Alderperson Rooker Jocelyn Scriber Information Management Specialist — Myers Jaime Freilich — new DAC member (appointed 12 -7 -11 at CC Meeting) Assistant Civil Engineer - Yost EXCUSED: DAC Members: Jason Anderson George Eberhardt Allen Walters APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the September 7, 2011 and October 5, 2011 Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes — Resolution By DAC Member Sember- Chase: Seconded by DAC Member Gizewski RESOLVED, That the minutes of the September 7, 2011 and October 5, 2011 Disability Advisory Council Meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously A Discussion with Mayor Elect Svante Myrick: Chair Roberts introduced Mayor Elect Myrick, and then everyone at the meeting introduced themselves to him. Chair Roberts stated that Mayor Elect Myrick would be completing his term on Common Council on December 31, 2011, and then January 1, 2012 will become Mayor of the City of Ithaca. Mayor Elect Myrick thanked Chair Roberts for inviting him to meet the Disability Advisory Council. He explained that he does not drive, and so either walks or uses TCAT to get around. He is very interested in improving pedestrian amenities and values input from the Disability Advisory Council as he works towards that goal. He said that one of his top priorities is to revitalize the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council. Chair Roberts explained the history of the Disability Advisory Council. He stated that the role of the Disability Advisory Council is to advise the Mayor and Common Council of the needs of the disabled in the community. The DAC works closely with the Planning Department, the Board of Public Works (Chair Roberts is the DAC liaison to the BPW), the Engineering office, and the City Clerk's office. He further stated that a lot of work has been done to prioritize snow and ice removal from sidewalks in the City. He noted that the City now sees this as an issue of accessibility and not property maintenance, which makes a big difference in how quickly sidewalks are cleared of snow and ice. He also explained that the DAC is very interested in the city's sidewalk program, handicap parking issues, and various issues related to pedestrian access. He further noted that it would be great to get the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council revitalized again. He explained that the DAC supports the installation of nets on city bridges as a method of means restriction. Chair Roberts stated that the DAC is also very interested in updating the city's self - assessment as it relates to ADA requirements. The last one was done in 1992; although the City is not behind in anything and continues to pursue ways to improve accessibility for everyone. December 7, 2011 DAC Member Rappaport stated that the completion of the self- assessment tool will be a great resource for the DAC to use to pursue accessibility issues -- especially related to curb cuts in sidewalks. DAC Member McElrath stated that it would be helpful to increase the number of DAC liaisons to various boards and committees. He noted that he is the DAC liaison to the Titus Towers Board, as well as the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council. He feels it would be good to have a DAC liaison on the Ithaca Housing Authority Board. Mayor Elect Myrick noted that he has an upcoming meeting with Ithaca Housing Authority Director Westfall, and he will bring this topic up at that meeting, as he feels a DAC liaison to the Ithaca Housing Authority Board would be a good idea. DAC Member Sember -Chase noted that she was recently appointed to the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee as the DAC Liaison. She stated that committee looks at how different departments in the City incorporate diversity into strategic plans, and noted that all city departments must submit diversity reports to the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee. Mayor Elect Myrick stated that it would be valuable for the DAC to have more liaison positions to various boards and committees to help bring a bigger perspective to the table. Chair Roberts stated that the DAC would like to apply for a grant through the National Organization on Disabilities for work in updating the city's self- assessment, and setting priorities. He further noted that he would like to expand the kind of disability issues and perspectives by the addition of new members to the DAC with different disabilities. He also noted that the DAC has been working closely with Tompkins County on a handicap parking education program, with Vice Chair Gizewski doing the voice for the public service announcements. The DAC is also interested in expanding the development of other psa's that deal with accessibility issues Vice Chair Gizewski noted that it is important to keep the DAC involved in the design process of different development projects such as the Commons, the new Hotel, and so forth to ensure accessibility issues are addresses especially as they relate to sidewalks, curb cuts, and improved access for various Festivals that are held each year as well. Chair Roberts encouraged Mayor Elect Myrick to consider DAC members when there are openings on various city boards and committees as they may know members of the community who may be interested in serving on them. DAC Member Sember -Chase stated that she would like the DAC to become more well known as a resource for staff and the public concerning accessibility issues. She noted that there are new ADA regulations in place relating to services, programs, buildings, mobility devices, service animals, etc. that staff might need support in updating what information may be on file. DAC Member Rappaport stated the addition of DAC liaisons to various boards and committees would be great, especially planning or building code boards. Chair Roberts also noted that it would be great to bring youth members onto the DAC to raise awareness of youth needs through a back and forth conversation. Mayor Elect Myrick stated that he is very interested in being kept informed of the activities of the DAC so that it will keep him abreast of the issues. He suggested setting up monthly or bi- monthly meetings with him or he could plan to attend DAC meetings occasionally. He further reiterated to the DAC the issues that he feels the DAC wants him to focus on — means restriction, completion of self- assessment, pursuing any grant opportunities to help implement programs identified in the self- assessment, increasing DAC liaisons to various city boards and committees, increasing input from DAC on development projects in the city, and youth membership on the DAC. December 7, 2011 Chair Roberts explained that the DAC has also been working for quite a long time on the creation of a downtown accessibility map that would be easy to read and understand for visitors coming to Ithaca. He explained that the Downtown Ithaca Alliance has been assisting the DAC in this project and hopes to have it complete soon and then will post it to their website. He said this project should be a priority for completion in 2012. Assist. Civil Engineer Yost suggested to Mayor Elect Myrick that when assigning liaisons it should be made clear whether the liaisons should be reaching up or back to each other and staff in an effort to improve communications between boards and staff. She also mentioned that people with disabilities do a lot of traveling on their own and run the gamut of needs and personalities so the City has also been trying to coordinate its accessibility map with accessibility records of Cornell University so as to the make the map as useful as possible to a wide range of people. Chair Roberts noted that particular staff such as the Clerk's Office, Asst. Civil Engineer Yost, Transportation Engineer Logue are attuned to people who might able to provide advice to the DAC. Chair Roberts thanked Mayor Elect Myrick for attending the meeting today, and noted that he looks forward to working with him in the future. Mayor Carolyn Peterson: Mayor Peterson joined the meeting and introductions were made. Mayor Peterson noted that she and Mayor Elect Myrick have met to discuss boards and committees. She stated that the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council will be revitalized, and noted that she recently found the Pedestrian Advisory Council's recommendations, which was done a number of years ago, that she shared with Mayor Elect Myrick. Chair Roberts expressed the DAC's thanks and appreciation to Mayor Peterson for her support in making snow and ice removal from sidewalks a priority and an issue of accessibility for everyone. He further expressed thanks from the DAC to Mayor Peterson for her support to the Council. Mayor Peterson stated that Chair Roberts has been very good at keeping the DAC at full membership. She noted that when a council has strong and active leadership that it makes a big difference in the work that can be accomplished. She also noted that Chair Roberts is one of the few Chairs from the many city boards /committees that has been consistent in providing annual reports to Common Council, and that is very much appreciated. Vice Chair Gizewski thanked the Clerk's Office for its staff support at their meetings and the provision of minutes that are now able to be posted to the city's website. He stated that having minutes done consistently helps to make the Disability Advisory Council seem more "official ". Mayor Peterson questioned whether curb cuts are missing still throughout the City. It was noted that some areas are still in need of curb cuts, but that there has been a big improvement. Chair Roberts stated that the DAC would work closely with Asst. Civil Engineer Yost in addressing sidewalk issues. Mayor Peterson noted that it will be important for DAC members to be involved in development projects to ensure accessibility needs are met. A brief discussion followed on the floor regarding the difficulty, at times, of maneuvering through downtown areas that have outdoor dining, and during construction. Chair Roberts noted that the DAC did work with the Clerk's office to develop a questionnaire /request form for applicants that request special events to ensure compliance with ADA requirements, and noted that perhaps the same could be done for construction projects. A brief discussion followed on the floor regarding the DAC's need for input regarding municipal signage size, way faring signs since National Standards have been updated. 0 December 7, 2011 The DAC members extended their thanks and appreciation to Mayor Peterson for her service to the City and for coming to meet with them. She thanked the DAC members for their service to the city as well. Upcoming Common Council vote on means restrictions. Chair Roberts explained that Common Council would be considering a resolution at tonight's Common Council meeting regarding the installation of nets on City Bridges. He is optimistic that the City will approve the resolution and allow the installation of the netting on the bridges. He is planning to attend the Common Council meeting to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting in support of the resolution. He encouraged other DAC members to be part of the audience. DAC Member Jackson stated that a mock -up of the proposed netting had been put up at the Ithaca Fire Department training center, and there were some issues, and the training could not continue. He encouraged Chair Roberts to contact the fire department for additional information. CC Liaison Rooker stated that he is optimistic about Common Council approving the resolution to approve the installation of netting on city bridges tonight. He explained that the resolution would approve a 10 year agreement, and since research in this topic is still so young it will provide time for further research and study to be done within the next 10 years. He is also appreciative that everything is being done at Cornell University's cost. Vice Chair Gizewski expressed his support for the installation of netting on city bridges. DAC Member Sember -Chase noted that the education component of this topic will be very important as well. Comprehensive Plan: Chair Roberts reported that there was a large public meeting with the consultants on the City's comprehensive plan to brainstorm ideas about how various community groups can be reached to provide input. He volunteered to set up a meeting for the elderly and disabled in the community. He stated that there will be many opportunities for people with disabilities to provide input into Phase I of the Comprehensive Plan. Phase II will be more content/area specific plans that will grow out of Phase I information. He noted that there will be neighborhood meetings held as well to obtain input. Commons Upgrade: Chair Roberts reported that Sasaki Consultants for the Commons Upgrade project are ready to start the design phase of the project. He explained that right now there is a conceptual design. He will encourage complete accessibility and request that all store fronts on The Commons be made accessible. He explained that the consultants will return in January and he will try to schedule a meeting for the DAC with them. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Sarah L. Myers Larry Roberts Information Management Specialist Chair, DAC CI