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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-DAC-2016-05-04Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4, 2016 Present: Chair Roberts Vice Chair Scriber DAC Members: David McElrath Erin Sember-Chase Others Present: Information Management Specialist – Myers Tompkins Office for the Aging Representative - Monroe Rick Manning Excused: DAC Members: Rappaport, Anderson CC Liaison Brock Approval of Minutes: Approval of the April 6, 2016 Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Vice Chair Scriber: Seconded by DAC Member Sember-Chase RESOLVED, That the minutes of the April 6, 2016 Disability Advisory Council Meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously Update: 1. Chair Roberts reported that since Transportation Engineer Hathaway could not attend today’s meeting to review the survey results from a study done by Ithaca College Students on the City’s Sidewalk Program that he would like to have a brief discussion about it later in the meeting. 2. Chair Roberts reported that there have been efforts made to install bike lanes on North Tioga Street between Court Street and Seneca Street. He explained that the DAC sent a comment to the Board of Public Works expressing concern over any elimination of parking on these two blocks. There is a need for increased accessible parking spaces on these two blocks that include the Tompkins County Courthouse, the Post Office, and the Town Hall of Ithaca. He attended that last meeting of the Board of Public Works on April 25th and the Board is undecided as to what to do on these two blocks. If any parking were eliminated it would be on the west side of Tioga Street. At that meeting, the Board discussed this item rather than voting on it as had been indicated on the agenda. The public attended that meeting and there were many comments in favor of keeping the parking as is, and many comments in favor of the installation of bike lanes on these two blocks. Those attending the meeting and commenting were forgetting how much business the public has with the government offices on North Tioga Street. Their comments assumed that anyone visiting these offices was perfectly capable of walking from a distance to get where they need to go. He had not intended to speak at the Board of Public Works meeting, but felt that he should to remind both the public and the Board of the need for accessible parking, and that not everyone is able to walk to get to these offices. There will be a different resolution on this topic placed on the agenda for the Board of Public Works meeting on May 9th. He may attend that meeting as well to remind the Board and any public that may be at the meeting of the needs of people with disabilities and older people on these two blocks. At the last Board of Public Works meeting the Supt. of Public Works suggested the creation of a working group that would include members of the DAC as well as members from the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council to discuss the proposal and suggest possible recommendations for the project; Chair Roberts hopes that will happen. He is worried that any decision made won’t take into account seriously the needs of the customers/visitors to the courthouse, post office and town hall, and the need for accessible parking on these two blocks. Any elimination of on-street parking, Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4,2016 2 where there is already not enough designated spaces, only makes that situation worse. He will keep the DAC updated on the topic. Discussion Items: 1. Stewart Park Update: DAC Chair Roberts introduced Rick Manning, who has been leading the Stewart Park Rehabilitation Project, and the design plan for the upcoming construction of a new playground - which is progressing much better than the Commons Playground project turned out. Vice Chair Scriber reported that she has not heard anything from city staff since the last meeting of the sub-committee regarding possible changes/improvement to the Commons Playground. At the last meeting, city staff indicated that costs for proposed improvements would be investigated and then they would follow-up with members of the sub-committee. Chair Roberts and DAC Member Sember-Chase encouraged follow-up with city staff to remind them that they were going to report back to committee members regarding the costs for any improvements. Vice Chair Scriber noted that there is little that can be done at this point with any proposed changes due to the lack of funding available to the city. She suggested that city staff be invited to attend the next DAC meeting to provide a report/update on the improvements that were proposed by the sub- committee as well as the costs associated with them. Chair Roberts reported that he has noticed recently on both Facebook and in the local newspapers articles concerning rehabilitation projects of buildings in the City of Ithaca - particularly the building where Simeon's Restaurant is located and the former Lucatelli’s building. In their former conditions neither of them had accessible entrances or bathrooms. He made call to Director of Planning, Building, Zoning and Economic Development Cornish to request that there be a conversation with building department staff that when such major rehab projects are being done that there are certain ADA laws that need to be followed and made clear to developers – especially concerning these two buildings. He suggested that perhaps building department staff could attend the next DAC meeting to discuss ADA laws and requirements related to rehabilitation of buildings and the ADA law. Vice Chair Scriber agreed, and noted that at the last Commons Playground meeting staff suggested that in the future with construction and renovation work that the DAC should be included in those discussions and review of plans especially as they relate to accessibility needs. She noted that just because there are things that meet accessibility laws does not mean that they are truly accessible for everyone (i.e. the Commons Playground). Chair Roberts and Vice Chair Scriber will pursue contacting building/planning department staff to ensure that the DAC is involved in any renovation plans/discussions to ensure accessibility requirements and needs are met. Staff need to see that accessibility needs are items to be covered with every project and to understand that it can be accomplished with developers in a positive and motivational way. Vice Chair Scriber reported that the family that attended a DAC meeting and who has been involved with the Commons Playground have had some competing interests and have not been at recent meetings of the sub-committee so she does not have an answer as to what their thoughts are to the suggestions that have been made for possible improvements to the Commons Playground. She will follow up with them or investigate with some other families that could provide input into the proposals. Rick Manning explained that the “Fuentes Bird Sanctuary” is part of Stewart Park. Its name historically was “Renwick Wildwood” and the area that is now known as the “Swan Pond” is actually “Fuertes Bird Sanctuary”. He reported that the group named “Friends of Stewart Park” have a grant to restore the overlook area at the swan pond. They met with City Historic Preservation Planner, Bryan McCracken, to review the project yesterday. He reported that sometimes historic preservation considerations and accessibility needs can be at odds with projects of this type. Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4,2016 3 Mr. Manning shared some picture panels of the projects proposed at Stewart Park with the DAC to help them understand the larger schemes of the project. He has been working for many years on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, and the trail was built primarily to meet accessibility needs on the waterfront, and in particular at Stewart Park. They planned the trail, as well as areas near and around the trail in conjunction with Tompkins County Strategic Tourism. He reported that the buildings in Stewart Park are wooden structures and most were built more than 100 years ago. Due to the lack of maintenance by the City, mostly related to the lack of funding, they are in need of an infusion of money and materials to restore them. They have applied for a grant related to the Stewart Park strategic revitalization plan. As a result of that, the “Friends of Stewart Park” group was formed; similar to the Central Park Association in New York City. They are a not-for-profit organization of which he is the part-time director. They are currently completing the third revitalization plan for the park. The park was built by the Ithaca Street Railway Company in 1890, and it became a public park in the 1900’s. There is a bicentennial celebration planned and they hope to have a lot of this work done by then. They just hired a campaign consultant/director to work on a private fund raising efforts to supplement/compliment city funding. The public’s interest in the park is growing more and more thanks in part to by the City of Ithaca Superintendent of Public Works Mike Thorne, and City of Ithaca Forester, Jeanne Grace. DAC Member Sember-Chase inquired as to whether there are separate funds being set up during the fund raising efforts related to separate items proposed for inclusion with the new playground. Mr. Manning responded that the Friends of Stewart Park are thinking more in terms of phased projects for different areas of the park. They’ve already completed some nice new plantings at the entrance to the park; the flag pole/memorial area has been redone, the Cayuga Waterfront Trail has been completed, there is a new roof on the boat house, as well as new bathrooms in the large pavilion which are fully accessible. They have hired a campaign consultant, Paula Peter, who has also helped with fund raising efforts at the Racker Center, and other local organizations. Ms. Peters’ feels that the playground at Stewart Park emerged as a priority for fund raising efforts because people felt it was very family friendly with its theme of accessibility for everyone which was a very compelling reason to fund it. The playground will be all inclusive which means that it’s not just meant for people with accessibility issues – this has caused some confusion to some so they’re trying to make sure to promote it as being a playground for everyone to enjoy. Friends of Stewart Park would also like to restore the large pavilion, right now they have the funding and approval to restore/replace the large doors and all the windows. They also want to restore the concrete plaza so that it is made level with the pavilion (right now it’s about 18” below the pavilion) to be used as a decorative gathering place. There is also work underway to build areas for benches off the trail that accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. They are also working on renovations to the former Wharton Studio building, which is currently being used as the DPW storage facility. There is a group that would like to restore the building to its former studio theme; however, the project is being scaled to meet proposed designs for the studio, city needs, and funding – there is a lot of funding needed to restore this building to its former studio condition. In the short term, they would like to be able to paint the building to help preserve so that the work could be completed in time for the Bicentennial celebration. The work to raise the floor and redo the foundation of the building has been completed, which is good. They estimate that it will cost $3 million to restore to the building to its former condition as Wharton Studios. It’s a very big and complicated building to repaint due to lead paint and infestations of carpenter bees. The City of Ithaca funded the new roof by use of a capital project. Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4,2016 4 Mr. Manning reported that the City of Ithaca rebuilt the small tea pavilion a couple years ago, and the work included construction of accessible ramps. The City of Ithaca did a very nice restoration job, right now they are working on the connections from the accessible ramps to the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. They hope to have that work completed this year. The connection from the pavilion to the trail is a stone dust path which provides a very nice visual improvement. He reported that he does not have pictures of the final proposed design of the playground available yet. The project began with four design teams and currently there are three teams working on it. This has resulted in a huge amount of design time by the designers which have not been paid yet. They are in the process of beginning the fund raising efforts for the playground, and hope to have some nice pictures of the new playground to use for that effort. The current playground is not accessible and includes old 1950-1970 era structures in the ground that are not accessible. They plan to consolidate the playground area to the south - away from the power lines. The new playground will also include a “Spray Play Area” which will be a simple flat open area - not unlike what’s there now. The new area will not be curved and will have a more natural look. The water will only run when people are there so as to not waste water. DAC Member Sember-Chase asked about whether an action motivated sensor is appropriate for meeting accessibility needs because a button that could be pushed to activate the water might be better. Mr. Manning responded that he was unsure whether this water feature would be action motivated. He thought maybe both, but noted that it was a great idea to have about the use of a button as the area is designed so as to make sure the water feature is accessible for everyone. They are trying to create a berm near the playground that will get everyone, even in devices, to a 5’ height that would transfer to the highest level of the playground or ramp up towards a constructed water tower observatory/play structure element of the playground so that everyone ends up at this dead end that will provide a dramatic view of the lake. They heard from many people that the elevation would be a great experience for people so they and the designers are very attached to the idea. An urban berm more that is more natural looking and in keeping with the plans and play area of the playground with a gentle slope (5%) is planned, and then two major play structures will be built branching off of the slope. At the top of the pathway on the berm there will be a manufactured structure, which they are currently working with staff from the Racker Center and Ithaca College to design; it will also need to include a very wide pathway so two wheelchairs can pass by each other at once. They are considering different ways to get on the berm and surfacing of any path will be critical so that they are fully accessible. The main playground structures will be geared towards children ages 5-12; there will also be a pre-school playground area. The pre-school playground area is being designed by “Play By Design” who were the designers for the Commons Playground. They now know what they need to do with the park playground design as a result of their poor design of the Commons playground. Their plans/sketches will need to be studied very carefully prior to approval/construction. This work might be phased so as to not close the current playground while the new one is being built. “Play By Design” will also be designing an “Elder Play Area” and are working with staff from Longview on the possible elements to include (Elder Play Areas are becoming very popular as baby boomers are aging). In addition, new bathrooms are being planned for close to the playground structures – the exact location to be determined. Chair Roberts suggested that the new bathrooms be “family friendly” so that they are large enough so that if someone needs an escort or to change someone there is a separate space that provides more room and privacy than the regular bathrooms. There are also plans to renovate the former concession building because it is not structurally sound and needs a lot of work. They are also planning to create a loop from the Cayuga Waterfront Trail through the park using transportation improvement funds. A loop of the trail within the park would mean that the user does not need to be on a road to get to a park destination. The current diagonal path near the entrance to the park needs to be restored as well. Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4,2016 5 Vice Chair Scriber asked how big the loop in the park would be distance wide. Mr. Manning responded that it may be perhaps a mile. There would be mile markers on the trail. Discussion followed on the floor briefly about the benefits of having a measured loop within the park that could then be used as part of a race route. For example, in recent news a 100 year old woman set a time record for running 1 mile recently. As more and more people age, this shorter distance race loop might become a very popular feature to have. Mr. Manning thanked the DAC for their input about the different projects planned for Stewart Park. He will come back to a DAC meeting with the final detailed plans for Stewart Park so they can be reviewed prior to the project moving through the site plan review process. Discussion followed on the floor regarding an existing “look out” over the lake and path near the boathouse. There is currently a flagstone path that needs to be re-set that is also the end of the accessible trail in the park. Due to physical limitations of the land/area it is difficult to reconnect the area back to the accessible trail. He had thought to put in a stone dust path which would be accessible; however, City Historic Preservation Planner McCracken told him that where there is an existing stone path in place it can’t be removed. It can be reset it so it is even, but not replaced. Use of the original material for this path will be very bumpy and not as accessible. So, there is some conflict between historic guidelines and accessibility needs/requirements. He is not sure what to do with this area; he just learned this information yesterday so it was important for him to discuss this with the DAC. Vice Chair Scriber asked whether there is accessible parking close to the path, and Mr. Manning responded that there is. Vice Chair Scriber noted that the parking area might be used as a way for people to view the overlook. Chair Roberts asked whether a new path might be constructed and if so what materials might be used for it. Mr. Manning responded that stone dust could be used, but he is not sure if two trails so close to one another is needed. Mr. Manning stated that it might be good for a couple members of the DAC to visit the site with him to help understand the details of the area related to the creation of an accessible path to the overlook area. Chair Roberts suggested that it might be good for DAC Member Rappaport who is a design architect familiar with ADA requirements to visit the site with Mr. Manning. Vice Chair Scriber volunteered to visit the site as well. Contact information for both DAC members will be forwarded to Mr. Manning so that he can coordinate a time for everyone to visit the area in the next couple of days, hopefully. DAC Member Sember-Chair questioned fund raising efforts and whether there might be issues with raising enough money to have all the elements that are accessible constructed in the playground or is all that funding in place. Mr. Manning responded that they would not cut out any of the accessible items of the playground if funding was not obtained. The budget for the playground is $1 million. Ms. Peters, the fund raising campaign director, feels that this project resonated more than some of the building projects with the public as far as fund raising efforts. He stated that with involvement by staff/patients at Longview and Kendall at Ithaca and their donation capability, he doesn’t think funding will not be available to construct all the proposed elements in the playground at this point. Basically, what they are doing now is raising the seed money necessary permits from the city, and set up a campaign database for use with the playground projects right now, and then for use with the other parts of the Stewart Park renovation projects in the future. It is a little bit of a reach and whether they can really raise $1 million for the playground project, but they really think they can accomplish this goal and complete the project as planned. Parking Scratch-Off Cards: Chair Roberts reported that Director of Parking Nagy would be invited to the June DAC meeting to provide an update on the scratch-off cards for the DAC. Ms. Monroe, from Tompkins County Office of the Aging, reviewed the proposed changes that members of their advisory board provided concerning the new scratch-off cards. The suggested improvements/changes are listed as follows: Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4,2016 6 “In order to get the input of older adults, as asked, I shared the proofs with our 15 member Advisory Committee of seniors this morning. The overall reaction was one of relief and interest in the new option. The instructions about how to use the permits need to be step-by-step and very clear on the back. They wanted the years to be printed out fully on the front (e.g. 2016). All questioned the logic of offering hang tag options over 2 hours when the City does not allow parking for over 2 hours. They felt that this was very confusing, and sent a mixed message. The 2 hour permit sample has white font on a yellow background, and all found that to be nearly impossible to read. People suggested increasing the font of the minute increment at the top of each tag, to make it more prominent. One person suggested including the cost on each permit. (EG the 30 minute permit would include the cost of 30 minutes of parking) Another person was confused by using the word "permit" as though it implies a long- term parking pass. She suggested that on the back of the tag it read "One-Time Permit" (instead of "Temporary") to clarify that the tag can only be used once. Seniors from rural communities who come into the City wanted to know whether the permits would be sold in their communities (e.g. Groton) and not just Ithaca. Again, overall, the group was quite positive about this new option. I do hope this input is strongly considered, as seniors are a group that has been most disaffected by the pay machines and to whom we are targeting these tags.” Ms. Monroe further added to these suggestions that the instructions on how to use the scratch-off cards should be clear about what can be done and clarity is very important. It was also noted that the cards should not be scratched off ahead of use - in case they aren’t used as planned and when someone wants to use them it’s a different month. It should be made clear that you only scratch off the month and day/time when you’re ready to use the card. Don’t scratch off the cards ahead of time - that information should be included as part of the instructions. Chair Roberts reported that Board of Public Works members liked the cards because they could be purchased as gifts to be used by older people who may not want to use pay stations. It was suggested that the scratch-off cards be sold at the Tompkins County Visitors Center; maybe the Tompkins County Office for the Aging (although that might be too complicated to work well). The plan is to sell the scratch-off cards at the same locations where garbage tags are sold. Vice Chair Scriber wondered if there is a possibility that parking meters will be reinstalled where the pay station is on the other side of the street - particularly near doctor’s offices. She shared that there has been some confusion with the multiple signs displayed and she feels like the “Park Mobile” signs need to be clearer and in more locations to better assist the public when parking on the street or wanting to see where the closest parking garage may be located. Ms. Monroe reported that Director of Parking Nagy attended the Senior Living Expo hosted by the Tompkins County Office for the Aging. He brought a display and did a great job there, and was really helpful to those attending the expo in individually helping people to set up their Park Mobile account to use the pay stations. Another suggestion on the scratch-off cards would be to make the font bigger, and not to use the yellow background with gray writing because that is too hard to read. Disability Advisory Council Meeting Minutes May 4,2016 7 DAC Members thanked Ms. Monroe for sharing feedback from the Tompkins County Office for the Aging Board members. DAC members really like the card. Survey by Ithaca College Students: Chair Roberts reported that when reviewing the results of the survey by the students, they seem to be saying the same things as the survey conducted by the DAC. That things are fairly good, but attention still needs to be paid to sidewalks. Vice Chair Scriber reported that she would also recommend that the countdown timer for pedestrians to use when crossing Route 13 where Tops/Wegmans are located should be adjusted because it does not allow enough time for pedestrians, especially senior citizens, to cross the road safely and before cars begin to flow with the green light. Adjournment: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. _______________________________ ________________________________ Sarah L. Myers, Larry Roberts, Information Management Specialist Chair of the DAC