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Title 2 of the Americans
with Disabilities Act requires that localities develop a
plan to address accessibility in public buildings. In early
2007, at the direction of the Board of Supervisors, staff
contracted with Samaha Associates to conduct an ADA
Accessibility Report on those buildings used by the County
for public meetings. These included the Warrenton Middle
School, the Warren Green Building, the Warrenton Community
Center and the John Barton Payne Building. The Sheriff’s
Office was also added, as there had been a recent citizen
complaint about accessibility.
In June 2007, Samaha
submitted its report. After considering the number and
scope of the renovations needed to make Warrenton Middle
School accessible, staff recommended that the best immediate
solution would be to not use that building for public
meetings. Given the fact that a new public safety building
was being contemplated, no immediate recommendations were
made for the Sheriff’s Office.
Thus, the report and staff’s
recommendations concentrated on the Warren Green Building,
the John Barton Payne Building and the Warrenton Community
Center. At the request of the Disabilities Services Board (DSB),
they were given the opportunity to review the Samaha report
and make suggestions and recommendations. They did so—in
many cases providing alternatives more cost effective than
the Samaha report. The summary attached is the combined
recommendation of Samaha and the DSB for accessibility
adjustments in the three buildings. The cost estimates are
based on Sahama’s estimates and where alternate solutions
have been proposed by the DSB, they are generally less
expensive. |