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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-DAC-2015-11-04Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes November 4, 2015 Present: Chair Roberts DAC Members: Dragovich, McElrath, Sember-Chase, Rappaport, Scriber Others Present: Information Management Specialist – Myers Sidewalk Program Manager - Hathaway - CC Liaison -Brock Approval of Minutes: Approval of the October 7, 2015 Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes - Resolution By DAC Member Rappaport: Seconded by DAC Member Sember-Chase RESOLVED, That the minutes of the October 7, 2015 Disability Advisory Council Meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously Updates: 1. Chair Roberts stated that he was very pleased to report that the sidewalk in front of Parkside Gardens had been repaired, it had really needed it. He also reported that in Mayor Myrick’s acceptance speech for his recent re-election for a second term, that he stated that the City’s infrastructure is slowly improving and the great work that has been done through its new sidewalk program. He also thanked everyone for voting for him, and for the number of hours that people volunteer to serve on the many boards and commissions of the City of Ithaca. He specifically mentioned the Disability Advisory Council as one of those boards that does a lot of work on behalf of the City and the community. 2. Sidewalk Program Manager Hathaway reported that crews are wrapping up sidewalk construction work for the season. He will be meeting with the contractor that the City hired (Vitali) next week to discuss and review the sidewalk work that was completed. He is very interested in that information and will share it with the Disability Advisory Council at a future meeting. He noted that the sidewalk work plan included about a mile to mile and half of sidewalk, and basically it was all completed as well as some from last year. He also reported that he has hired the contractor from last year to repair the sidewalk on Washington Street and Floral Avenue because there was some money left over in the sidewalk program budget for it; it really needs to be done before the end of this construction season. He stated that the great weather this week has been really helpful for finishing up the sidewalk work. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the great work of the new sidewalk program, and finding ways to better communicate to the City and Sidewalk Program Manager Hathaway about sidewalks that need repair, potholes, and other mobility concerns of the community. Sidewalk Program Manager Hathaway reported that he is working on a long-term sidewalk program plan, and will share that with the DAC when completed. He stated that, currently, he is working with staff from Delta Engineers to design more involved sidewalk plans. These plans include sidewalks with structural issues or where there is a retaining wall and/or sidewalk that is in disrepair or missing completely. This type of work will involve the coordination of the necessary work for both the walls and sidewalks. They will seek public input on proposed designs when they’re ready, to ensure they meet with everyone’s satisfaction, as there will be significant costs involved in that type of project. He also noted that he and the Superintendent of Public Works have been discussing the importance of seeing where sidewalk work and road work might be coordinated to make sure that curb ramps are included in either type of work. They also understand that repairing the sidewalks is not beneficial if someone cannot use the street, either because there is no curb ramp or the street is in such a state of disrepair, that it is not safe to cross. There needs to be some way to incorporate construction of curb ramps with street and sidewalk work so that people can travel where they need to from one sidewalk to the Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes November 4, 2015 2 next. The Superintendent of Public Works is really supportive of this effort to coordinate road work and sidewalk construction plans for the next construction season, which is really helpful. Alderperson Brock noted that with the current promotion of electric cars, it has become harder for visually or hearing impaired people to hear them so it is very important that audible crosswalks be included in these projects as well. Sidewalk Program Manager Hathaway agreed that audible crosswalks need to be part of the design and plans for work at intersections. It is really important that all aspects of accessibility are incorporated into these projects. Discussion followed on the floor as to whether there is an audible signal at the intersection of South Aurora and State Street. It was noted that it does not automatically activate, and pedestrians need to activate it when needed. Chair Roberts reported that visually or hearing impaired individuals are taught, during orientation training, about the location of the button on the devices so they can activate them when needed. Sidewalk Program Manager confirmed that standards for the devices are in the manual for uniform traffic devices. Chair Roberts noted that he might invite Transportation Engineer Logue to a future meeting of the DAC to share what and where traffic/audible signals exist in the City today, and to discuss what the plans are for the future expansion of the use of audible signals/traffic devices. Exterior Property Maintenance – Proposed Changes: CC Liaison Brock reported that the Rental Housing Advisory Commission (RHAC) of the City of Ithaca is working with Building Department staff to encourage a change in the fee structure for violations of the Exterior Property Maintenance Ordinance. She noted that this ordinance is very broad in range, and includes trash, furniture left outside, high grass, and snow removal from sidewalks to name a few. She wanted to bring this proposed change to the DAC’s attention as it relates to the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks. The current proposal from the RHAC would be to have a zero fine for the 1st offense, and have incremental increases for future offenses. This would provide property owners an opportunity to remedy the situation right away and then be aware of what their responsibilities are for maintaining their property from that point forward. The current system is very problematic. By the time property owners receive a citation through the mail, the property could be inspected each day after the citation is mailed, so multiple citations may be issued before the property owner even receives the first one. The new proposal would provide the property owner an opportunity take care of the violation without being fined. The property owner could then notify the tenants, if they are the responsible party that they need to make sure there are no future violations. In addition, the enforcement of the snow removal ordinance causes some confusion to the public as well. If crews from the Department of Public Works crews are clearing snow from sidewalks and come across other sidewalks that may not be cleared, they will take care of it and bill the property owner. Alternately, the Exterior Maintenance Inspector goes around the City inspecting sidewalks for compliance with the ordinance, and will write citations to the property owner for any violations. There are fines associated with those citations that the property owner is responsible for paying, and then they need to clear the sidewalk of snow and ice accumulations so that additional citations are not issued. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the proposal with DAC members expressing concerns about it. DAC Members also feel that the current system works and that the City should carefully consider the consequences of implementing any changes to it. CC Liaison Brock stated that she spoke with Alderperson Martell, who is the Common Council Liaison to the RHAC, and encouraged her to talk with the DAC before anything is done to change the current City Code requirements for removal of snow and ice from sidewalks. The problem with the current system though is that there are, potentially, new tenants each year. This means that the new tenant (depending on how the lease is written) could get charged for last years’ tenant’s failure to take care of the sidewalk. That is not fair to the new tenant. Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes November 4, 2015 3 DAC Member Rappaport responded that, in most cases, the property owner is not changing each year. Therefore, they are responsible for informing their new tenants of their responsibilities regarding the need to keep the sidewalks clear of snow and ice, if that is how the lease is written. DAC Member Sember-Chase expressed her concern about the zero fine for the first offense. She would be curious as to whether concerns had been raised during the RHAC’s discussions about home owners who don’t have ability to remove snow from their sidewalk. DAC Member Scriber was curious as to whether or not it is the landlord or tenant who is the responsible party and the proposal to start the fine over at zero after six months with no violations. If it is the owner/landlord’s responsibility they should not be given a start over of the fines associated with the violation. Chair Roberts responded that he would put this topic on a future agenda for the DAC. He also stated that the DAC would be opposed to any move to extend the period of time to remove snow and ice from sidewalks or to reduce the fines associated with violations. The proposal to reduce the fines, if there were no violations in the last six months, would mean that the fine would be reset to zero every six months because there is usually six months between winters. CC Liaison Brock stated that she would invite someone from the RHAC to come to the DAC meeting when this topic is on the agenda. Sidewalk Program Manager Hathaway noted that similarly there are sidewalks around the City; for example, there is a sidewalk in an area on upper South Aurora Street where bushes are covering 3’ of the sidewalk. This makes the sidewalk inaccessible. This is something that would also be a violation under the Exterior Property Maintenance Ordinance, so he hopes that the RHAC would include all obstructions in the sidewalk in their proposed changes to the ordinance – not just sidewalks where the snow and ice have not been removed. DAC Member Scriber reminded everyone that this would also include low hanging tree branches for those who are visually impaired. Discussion Items: Discussion of Disability Advisory Council’s Goals, Objectives, and Continuity: DAC Members felt that increasing the membership of the DAC, and discussing the time that the DAC meets should be topics of discussion in the short-term. In addition, they also felt that continuing to meet with staff from different departments is a good way to let them know that the DAC is able to provide input on various topics and to make them aware of the DAC as a resource for them. It would be nice to have the Mayor come to a meeting to provide an overview of the budget, explain the difference between capital project budget items and regular budget items. Chair Roberts asked if anyone might be interested and willing to attend Board of Public Works meetings to participate in their discussions and provide input. The Board of Public Works meets twice a month on the second and fourth Monday at 4:45 p.m. in Common Council Chambers. He noted, that having a seat at the Board of Public Works meeting is almost as effective as being able to vote. A brief discussion followed on the floor regarding the best way that DAC members can be informed of items being discussed at various city meetings that they should be aware of. Agendas for most meetings are posted to the City website prior to the meeting. DAC Members could take some responsibility upon themselves for reviewing those agendas for topics of interest and then attending meetings to provide input during public comment periods at the beginning of each meeting. It was also noted that the City Website has a tool called “Notify Me” that anyone can sign up for, and receive items of interest to them through this listserve tool of the city. People can choose to receive different agendas, media releases, construction notices, etc. and e-mails will be sent to them when those items are posted to the website. DAC Member Scriber reported that a recent meeting at the Racker Center about the new Stewart Park playground was very productive. Five physical therapists, as well as some Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes November 4, 2015 4 occupational therapists attended the meeting. After the meeting, it was noted that it would be wonderful if anyone planning a playground could have this type of valuable input from professional people in the community who work with children with various physical or developmentally impairments it would be extremely beneficial. Since the playground at Stewart Park will be a community playground, input from everyone is very important. Once the necessary money is raised for the playground, it will be state-of-the art; all because the appropriate professionals and members of the public in the community, who are more than willing and able, were able to participate in their meetings to provide this very valuable input prior to the playground’s construction. Chair Roberts reported that he has not heard from anyone at the City regarding the playground on the Commons that needs to be made more accessible. He will stop by the Planning Department after this meeting to see if he can find out any information as to the status of setting up a meeting with the designer of the playground to discuss the lack of accessibility of the playground and discuss proposals for possible changes to the structure. DAC Members Rappaport and Scriber, who volunteered to participate in these meetings with the designer, confirmed that they had not heard anything from the City either. Nomination and Election of Disability Advisory Council Vice-Chair 2015-2016: DAC Member Sember-Chase nominated DAC Members Scriber and McElrath to be the Vice- Chair of the Disability Advisory Council for 2015-2016. Information Management Specialist Myers distributed ballots for DAC members to vote for their choice of Vice-Chair; after everyone completed their ballots she picked them up and counted them. DAC Member Scriber received the most affirmative votes; she will be Vice-Chair of the DAC for 2015-2016. Adjournment: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. ___________________________________ ________________________________ Larry Roberts, Chair Sarah L. Myers, Information Mgt. Spec.