ADA Transition Plan
Project Description
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides civil rights protections to persons with disabilities. Areas affected include employment, government services, transportation, telecommunications and access to public accommodations. Federal ADA regulations required public agencies to create an ADA Transition Plan.
In 1992, the City hired Schirmer Engineering Corporation to create an ADA Transition Plan for City facilities. Facilities include buildings, parking lots, and recreational facilities. In 1993, the City included recurring project PF-93009, Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance, to the Capital Improvements Program. The City uses this project to fund improvements identified in the 1992 ADA Transition Plan and by City Staff.
Since 1992, the City has acquired new facilities and is maintaining additional buildings. The weighted average age of City facilities is nearly 55 years. Thus, not all facilities meet current ADA standards as ADA codes have evolved. An updated ADA Transition Plan will help to ensure City programs, services, and activities are accessible to the public
Project Status
Currently, the City is implementing the plan adopted in 2021. This involves ongoing improvements and barrier removals to improve accessibility at City facilities.
Project History
The City hired SZS Consulting Group to update the City's ADA Transition Plan on October 26, 2015. Their scope includes the following:
- Evaluate City facilities for compliance to current ADA standards and applicable codes
- Provide ADA Transition Plan reports identifying all physical barriers and items of noncompliance
- Compile identified items into a database for City to track progress
- Create ADA Transition Plan with implementation schedule for completing identified items
The City will use reports and databases to ensure facilities meet accessibility requirements.
SZS Consulting Group completed evaluating all City facilities, finalizing reports, and compiling databases. SZS Consulting Group finished drafting the ADA Transition Plan and implementation schedule.
The City approved an amendment to SZS Consulting Group’s contract to include a public outreach for feedback on City facility usage and the Transition Plan Schedule. The City hosted three public outreach meetings in May of 2019. These meetings kicked off a 45-day public comment period for the public to provide feedback in-person, by email, or by submitting comments through an online survey.
On May 11, 2021, the Policy and Services Committee unanimously recommended Council to adopt the ADA Transition Plan Update. On June 7, 2021, City Council adopted the ADA Transition Plan Update.