PUBLIC ACCESS COMMITTEE OF EASTHAM
MARCH 31, 2009
Present: Richard Adelman, Helen Derman, Peggy Kern, David Kern, Jeanette Marcucci
Town Officials: Frank DeFelice, Building Inspector, ADA Coordinator
Guest: Juan Donlin, Dennis Disability Commission; Jean Anne McLaughlin, Harwich
TOWN PROJECTS:
P.A.C.E. noted the retirement of Police Chief Rick Hedlund on March 12, 2009. Jeanette will write a letter to the Chief, thanking him for his support of P.A.C.E. activities in the community. Richard will contact Deputy Chief Ken Roderick to meet with him and/or ask him to attend a PACE meeting to acquaint him with our mission in Town.
Frank reported that a modular home will be built off Campground. Jean Anne noted that some manufacturers build their modules to ADA requirements. Frank said that recent changes to the building code have increased the cost of building by 15-20%. These changes involve special windows & doors plus there are new requirements related to withstanding hurricanes. He thinks more people will choose modular homes in the future: they already meet the new code requirements and can be completed in 6 weeks.
Report on businesses: Sea Dog –Jim Russo is planning on opening as an Italian restaurant. He recently resigned as the head of the Chamber of Commerce. 2) Arturo’s - Art Cestaro plans to convert the upper floor to a residence and/or sell the building. 3) Lobster Pool – opening soon as Woody’s Eastham Lobster Pool and Mac’s Seafood (2 businesses). Frank will check the status of their bathrooms for accessibility. 4) Lobster Shanty – owner not back yet. Cannot open until HP space(s)/markings/signs are installed properly. 5) Neil Andres, DPW will be identifying/marking all Town Building HP spaces to bring them up to van-accessible standards within the next month. Jean Anne noted that the
hatch marks are required as well as the “Van” signs. 6) PACE received copies of a letter to Town officials from RMV re: abuse of HP parking spaces. An amendment to the law now makes parking in the crosshatch access aisle of a HP space illegal. The RMV created an online citizen complaint site which resulted in many more $500 citations and administrative hearings. The letter asked police departments to educate their staff/enforce regulations re: HP parking and use of HP Placards. Demographics of placard holders are available on RMV’s database; police have access to this info by entering the “P” number from the placard rather than the license plate number. 7) Despite reduced State funding for CART reporters, Eastham will have remote CART for Town Meeting this spring.
VISITABILITY/HP VAN-ACCESSIBLE SPACES:
Richard spoke on Visitability at a meeting of the National Home Builders Association at Four Points Hotel on March 10th.
Richard has not heard back from the Chamber of Commerce re: the Visitability info and the articles plus photos of the HP van signs that he submitted for the Chamber newsletter.
At next PACE meeting we will discuss how to promote the “Van” sign requirement to the businesses in Town.
PACE BROCHURES: A couple more businesses/phone numbers to be added. Then brochure will be submitted to Maddie in the Building Dept. for publication.
OTHER DISABILITY COMMITTEES:
Juan reported that Dennis DC has been very busy. Their all-access playground was put into Play World Catalog. Altiplay, who installed the equipment, is including pictures of Dennis’ playground in their brochure. Currently, doing a survey on accessibility of town offices, beaches, parks, etc. Will meet with Rick White, new Town Administrator. Replaced benches at a park, Girl Scouts cleaned up the Braille Trail. Dennis is hosting Jeff Dougan, MOD in September, would like to know which date is best for PACE: September 9th, 16th, or 23rd. Jean Anne reports that the Harwich DC is still operating though she is no longer a member. PACE has had no communication with Harwich since they reorganized.
Jean Anne promoted the luncheon and judging of posters on April 7th at CapeAbilities in Hyannis at 12:30PM. Students designed posters on disability subjects. Grand Prize winning poster will on back cover of Cape Cod Disability Access Guide that Jean Anne prints each year. Other winning posters will be on inside covers. Jean Anne attended Orleans’ March 27th meeting; Orleans is doing an access review of their new Town Hall. Jamie Balliett, Orleans DC, sent an
E-mail re: the Governor’s Office Memorandum of Understanding in which a blanket variance to reduce the ADA compliance requirements for accessibility was mentioned as applies to using Federal Stimulus money for building projects. Tom Hopkins, MAAB told Governor’s Office that Massachusetts is required to comply with ADA. Enforcement of ADA is through the federal Dept. of Justice. MAAB cannot enforce a federal law. PACE will write a letter to Governor’s Office, MAAB, State Officials Rob O’Leary and Therese Murray decrying the attempt to circumvent ADA laws. Bill Fallan, wfallan@dpcma.org, is spokesperson for some private disability advocacy groups and has been active on this issue. An article in the Cape Cod Times, March 12th by Cynthia Stead “State Needs to Ramp Up Disability Law” was discussed. A MOD meeting on “State Civil Rights in the Commonwealth” is scheduled for April 2nd in New Bedford.
LONG-RANGE PLANNING: Richard will contact Ken Ainsworth, Long-Range Planning Advisory Board re: PACE being invited to a LRPAB meeting to explain Visitability and to discuss a possible Visitability Bylaw to be approved by the Selectmen and then incorporated in the next version of the Town’s Long Range Plan.
These Minutes were approved electronically on April 5, 2009.
NEXT MEETING – TUESDAY, May 12, 2009 at 9:30 AM in the LARGE Meeting Room.
Respectfully Submitted,
Helen Derman, Secretary
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