Marin Independent Journal
Jennifer Upshaw
Article Launched: 07/12/2008 11:05:01 PM PDT
Little white dots have appeared on street corners in San Rafael neighborhoods – a sign that the city continues to work toward compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The dots denote where up to 100 future curb cuts – ramps that lead smoothly from the sidewalk to the street – will be placed. The work is part of a 2004 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to bring better disability access to the city.
“We go out there and do a survey of each of these corners to make sure our design is compliant with the latest design standards,” Public Works Director Andy Preston said. “Each of those corners that has dots is going to be a curb ramp.”
As part of the agreement, the city has built 124 curb ramps, part of a backlog of 800 ramps dating to 2002 that should have been built when the city resurfaced its streets, said Richard Landis, the city’s disabilities act coordinator. The city has spent about $438,000 on ramps.
The city aims to build another 100 ramps in the next cycle, he said. A contract to resurface streets and install ramps is expected to go out to bid this summer. Construction could begin this fall.
Federal officials contacted the city in 2003 requesting help investigating the city’s compliance with the 1990 law. In early 2004, federal officials toured the city to assess its compliance with the federal guidelines.
The council years earlier approved a plan to remove barriers to access. Sidewalk, intersection and ramp installation, assisted listening devices and telephone systems for the hearing impaired, parking changes, restroom and public counters, notices of rights and an equal opportunity-affirmative action employment policy have been established.
But federal officials said more work was required and reached a settlement with the city. Similar agreements exist in San Luis Obispo, Seaside and Carson City, Nev.
The agreement states, among other things, that the city will:
– Make changes to facilities and programs to remove barriers in facilities such as the downtown plaza, the Public Works building at 111 Morphew St., and the parking structure at Third and C streets.
– Bring on oral and sign interpreters to the police department to provide 24-hour services, equip the department with a phone system for the hearing or speech impaired and adopt a statement on communicating effectively with those with hearing disabilities.
– Implement procedures to alert people who have disabilities about the city’s emergency operations plan, including procedures for notifying them during an evacuation, ensure community centers are equipped with backup generators and ways to refrigerate medications – and are operated so the disabled and their service animals are not separated.
– Implement a written process to get comment from people with disabilities on curb cut installation requests, and install curb ramps on sidewalks when a street or a pedestrian way is built or altered. Within 10 years and six months, the city is expected to install curb ramps at pedestrian walkways and intersections constructed, altered or repaved since 1992.
“It’s going fine and we’ll strive to do everything we can to come into compliance,” Mayor Al Boro said. “Whenever we have the resources we’ll continue to apply them.”
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