Salem Commission on Disabilities Mintues
May 21, 2013
4:00P.M
Salem Access TV, 285 Derby Street
Introductions
Present: Debra Lobsitz, Lisa Cammarata, Jennifer Barz-Snell, Bill Legault, David Martel, David Tracht, John Jodoin, Jim Nowlan, Andy J. LaPointe and David Moisan.
Debra Lobsitz: We need to change our agenda order today; our guest will not be here until later on. I want to make a motion to move this item to later in the meeting, when
A motion was made by Debra L. to move the agenda item with David Knowlton to later in the meeting. The motion was passed.
Old Business
Assistive Listening System purchase progress update
David Moisan: I sent Lisa an email, and just sent a copy to you—I don’t have your email address at my work computer.
I reviewed the specs of the systems we wanted to purchase. I have no opinion or recommendation on the portable system from what was discussed in our subcommittee meeting.
I’ve reviewed the specs for both the Williams T35 transmitter (that comes with the PA 377 complete system) and the T27 (Williams Personal PA Value Pack).~ The T27 is slightly cheaper.~ Both transmitters would be usable with SATV equipment, but I am going to recommend the T35.~ It is more expensive, but I believe this transmitter will be easier for SATV to integrate into its systems.
It will sound good. It will be a bit more expensive but I’m glad to make the tradeoff as I feel we will be using this for a long time.
In turn, I will recommend the T35 transmitter with the PA 377 system for SATV.~ We will get a basic fixed system like we will use for City Council, but we will also buy a portable transmitter to cover all the possible uses. We will stick with a 72 MHz system so that the city and SATV can use each other’s assets as needed.~
I still have to discuss this with SATV’s board. I am going to recommend the PA 377 complete system with the T35, plus an extra portable transmitter for SATV to purchase. People can use the fixed system if they are videotaping meetings, but can use the portable system if they don’t need to tape. We need the system here for ADA requirements.
Lisa: I wish I could tell you we had all the equipment in my car, but. I spoke with Chris Hartling and we had a great conversation. He was very helpful. It’s very exciting to finally be going forward on this.
Debra: This particular system is very versatile and you will be able to use it in many different situations.
YMCA renovation
Debra: Updates?
Lisa: A variance hasn’t yet been submitted.
David Martel: The work is ongoing.
Lisa: I think it was encouraging that the YMCA reached out to us ahead of their request, so they could get our feedback.
Scholarship for high school students: Lisa Cammarata
Lisa Cammarata: There’s nothing we’d like to do more than to focus on education with our budget. Scholarships, unfortunately, we looked at them as benefiting one person. We spoke to several communities about their scholarships, and it was not encouraging. I have tried to get opinions on this, but I am not getting good news. Two of the four communities we contacted told us they were not doing this. The consensus is that it may not be legal.
There may not be an appetite towards doing this.
Debra: You are still researching if this can even be done legally?
Lisa: Yes.
Debra: We’ll keep this issue open.
SCOD blog: Andrew LaPointe
Andrew LaPointe: I asked Councilor Legault to repeat this item this month to get into the Patch. Last month we talked about doing this on a regular basis. It would be basic information; it would not be “blogging” or “tweeting” (i.e. Twitter), but just the essential information on the Commission.
Bill LeGault: I forgot to do this this week but I will get the monthly meeting on the Calendar of Events. I’m not sure I can put our website links on the web page, but I’ll look at this. We might want to invite the editor of the Patch to be a guest speaker? It would be Chris, the regional editor of the Patch (Owen Boss’s boss.)
Lisa: We tabled it to this month just to be sure we could discuss it, and clarify it.
Andy: I’ll do the legwork. It’s no different from my regular job. The other thing related to that: We could try to get on an SATV show again, like perhaps George Ahmed.
Debra: Back to the blog. What I’m hearing is that posting information to the blog would be low-maintenance. As far as the show goes, we need to know if someone is willing to work on that.
David Moisan: I’ve been on Leo’s show as a guest at least once, to talk about our Audible Bulletin Board. I spoke at SATV’s Annual Meeting this year. I was honored as a Producer of the Year for my work on our meeting telecast; I wanted to mention it for two months but I’ve been so wrapped up in work.
I know, for Leo, he likes to pace his guests and not have guests on too often. I won’t get into his personality—which many of you know of—but if you can give him something new and novel, he will be most likely to put you on.
David Moisan: He liked the show that Debra and David Tracht did; he thought you two were great guests. To us on the inside, it can be a real grind—I work as an engineer on the show—but I also thought you did a good job.
Debra Lobsitz: When we start using our budget, such as on the assistive listening systems, that would be a great hook to get started. Is it too soon to start talking to people?
Andy: Well, I just want the Commission to agree to the idea; once we get things going on the logo and other items, we can pursue this.
New Business
Wheelchair accessible taxi
Debra: We will talk about some of the companies that offer accessible taxi services and try to get one licensed in Salem.
David Martel: Lisa, is it a City Council issue? There was some sort of project at the MBTA asking us if we had any accessible taxis. We do not.
Lisa: It would go through the Council and the Police Dept.
John Jodoin: And also the Traffic Dept. There is no accessible taxi service in Salem but if we could get an operator interested, there could be a demand for it.
Bill Legault: It would probably be done at the state level. We could reach out to the operators. If there is a grant program available we should look them up.
Bill L.: I expect it may become a statewide requirement.
Debra L.: The city of Boston has a program for chair-accessible taxis called Wave. They’re minivans that look similar to other Boston cabs. There is an app for your phone to make a reservation. It goes through the Boston PD Hackney Unit.
Bill L.: It may be a public-private arrangement.
Accessibility Icon Project
Debra: I have a picture. Has everyone seen it? What do you all think?
John: The logo means motion. The man in the chair is in motion! He has a place to go. The old icon had someone motionless in his/her chair. The new one is intended to be dynamic.
Debra L.: The website, www.accessibleicon.org, has a detailed description of the logo and why it’s the way it is. The logo suggests the body in motion is active, dynamic and navigating through the world. Everything is in motion, everything is active. The legs on the logo have been arranged to make it easier to stencil, and the body depictions are consistent with current ISO standards.
The website directs you to stickers with the new icons and gives you guidance on how to transition from the old icon to the new one.
Salem Common access issues
Debra L. Next, we have a letter from Ken Bonacci on Salem Common. I don’t have the letter with me, unfortunately.
Andrew: I talked to Jack Harris—who lives on the Common—and he advised me to concentrate on the parking spaces and on the access points. Councilor Sosnowski said he was going to walk through it. We don’t know how many HP parking spaces there actually are on the Common.
Lisa: Here’s the letter that Andy forwarded. He sent it to Mike Sosnowski:
[Letter from Ken Bonacci to Mike Sosnowski follows:]
“Good morning Councilor Sosnowski,
Accessibility will always be an issue for the city of Salem. There are many places where it exists currently that are not in accordance with the code established by Public Law 101-336. We have one directly in front of city hall, of all places, which doesn’t surprise me. Yet there is one place where none exists and it claims to be the show piece of our community. I refer to the Salem Common. It will now be used to assist in commemorating events relative to the National Guard.
[There will be] even more people to see how sloppy we as a city are to those less fortunate.
Salem Common has no designated parking spaces for persons with a disability. Many of the entrance ways into the Common are in such poor condition as to be a hazard to a person with a disability. Curb cuts exist on the opposite side of the street without a reciprocal [curb cut]. Parking should NOT be at entrance to the Common, due to obscuring a person in a wheelchair from being seen before attempting to cross when exiting the Common. Parking spaces for persons with a disability should have a minimum ratio of 10% to the total number. Spaces should be spaced around the Common.
[The] Common entrance in proximity to the Hawthorne is in serious need of repair. Check spacing with bollards.
Now, has anyone figured out how a person in a wheelchair is going to negotiate Derby St. to Pickering Wharf after landing at our new ferry site?
It’s time, past time, to get proactive with respect to issues concerning accessibility and accommodation for persons with a disability.
Your constituent, your ally in advocating for our senior citizens, and of course, for those with a disability.
Ken Bonacci”
Andy: I don’t know why Ken did not contact us first, instead of the Council. He knows how long it takes to get things done—he was on the Commission himself!
David T.: Have you been on the Common? Have you seen the problem?
Jim Nowlan: I’ve been on the the west side of the Common. There are rough sidewalks there.
David T.: Could you survey it yourself? You would know much better than we would.
Lisa: He says there isn’t an HP space at City Hall, but there is. What he might refer to is the path to the back entrance, and perhaps that could be improved. We should just concentrate on the specific areas called out in Ken’s email, rather than canvass the city.
John Jodoin: There are HP spaces on the Common; Bertram House, and also the Hawthorne Hotel have spaces. But the perimeter of the Common proper does not have spaces. The Common is a large space so the 10% space requirements may be excessive.
We also have a problem during Haunted Happenings; the parking rules are changed to prohibit motorcoaches.
Jim, when you do your survey, see how many spaces there are in the first place. Then we can determine, with the Traffic Department, what if any spaces we need.
Andy: The curb cuts, Ken says, don’t match up. Please look at that.
David Martel: The Hawthorne Hotel entrance is compliant.
John Jodoin: The hotel has been very recently worked on.
Essex St. Pedestrian Mall
Debra L.: May we move on the Essex St. Pedestrian Mall?
Andy: We were supposed to do a walkthrough there?
Lisa: The Planning Dept. approached me to tell me they were working on it and offered to let us look at the plans before construction starts. The work is underway now, and it looks like it would be easier to navigate.
Jim: I have been looking at the plans; I have seen where they will be removing rows of cobblestones but also reusing them.
John: Yes, but only to an extent. There are strips of cobblestones one or two stones wide. They are putting rebar and concrete under the stones and the bricks so the bricks won’t settle.
The cobblestones in the new renovation are only decorative accents.
Bill: There is a detail officer on the PEM end of the Mall, but not Central St.
John: The detail officers are spending time on the Central St. end.
Jim: What about the bollards? What are they used for? They might be incorporated into the side of something?
Bill: Those were to keep motor vehicles from the pedestrians. Every tenth bollard was a light fixture, which kids were breaking.
John: Since 9/11 a lot of those bollards have been used to keep vehicular traffic away from government buildings.
Essex St. concern between Crombie St. to Bank
Debra: Let’s discuss Essex St. between Crombie St. and Washington St. (at Sovereign Bank) at 189 Essex St.
Andy: Councilor Sosnowski had a constituent who talked with him, who lives across the street at the YMCA. The bricks at the mailbox at the bank stick out.
John: The tree skirts are broken; these are cast iron and when they break, they’re dangerous.
Bill: There are utility grates there and the stretch of sidewalk is an obstacle course under the best of circumstances. We like trees, but it is very congested and I’m not sure there should be trees there.
Jim: I’m not sure if it’s the tree roots, but it is very uneven.
Bill: It is a great spot for potholes, too.
Guest speaker: David Knowlton, City Engineer
Debra L.: I’d like to welcome David Knowlton to the meeting.
David K.: Thanks for adjusting your schedule. I just met with the Mayor. She has found $2 million dollars for paving projects throughout the city. We will start the work sometime in July. We are focusing on sidewalk conditions and handicapped ramps. There are still places that need attention, but we were successful. As you know, those ramps can be very sensitive to slope requirements. Some have not been compliant; notably, one on Charter St. near SATV. The contractor was in a hurry to finish, but they are coming back to repaint markers so the ramps may be taken care of then.
David T.: The crosswalks fade out.
David K.: This is a constant problem—the paint fades as it is run over, and as it endures the seasons. Every two years we rate the condition of every roadway in Salem. This goes from 100—just paved, to 1—which is a mess. We have a module on our management software that does HP ramps, and the Mayor approved our going out with a level for all of the HP ramps. We can’t do it all at once but we can gradually get the work done over time.
We will look at the Point first. You mentioned the Common. Downtown area is not that bad. The mayor wants to improve the area of the train station. Is the Point a good area to start?
Debra L.: There are many service providers at Shetland Park. The neighborhood is dense. It’s a very good place to evaluate HP ramps.
David K.: What other areas do you want us to look at?
John Jodoin: The area of Charter and Hawthorne Boulevard does not have curb cuts that are aligned with the crossing stripes. The curb cuts end in parking lots. One has to cross parking spaces to navigate the area. People are leaving 27 Charter St. and not staying on the sidewalks—they stay in the streets.
David K.: I appreciate the feedback. The crosswalks have not been striped there yet.
Andy: Do you have a list of targeted ramps?
David K.: The list hasn’t been made yet. We will have it and generate it and give it to you.
David Moisan: This seems to be the good time to report. I live in the Federal St. @ St. Peter block. First, is a problem report: The tactile strip on Washington St. at Bridge St., on the Washington St. side of the crosswalk, has a missing tile. Tactile strips on all the crosswalks downtown have two tiles. This one has a tile missing. It’s very annoying and even dangerous.
The second problem I’m not sure you can do anything about, but here it is. I live next to 10 Federal. On the St. Peter St. side there is a long driveway of about 40 feet. This driveway is blacktop and it is sloped in such a way that it is very hard to walk across. The sideslope is very uncomfortable.
I walk across that driveway several times a day. It is miserable. It hurts my ankles in the summer. Don’t even talk about the winter.
David K.: I want to get a form together where people can post about issues like this, including the cross street.
Andy: May I ask you a quick question about the pedestrian traffic lights on Highland Ave.? Did your office handle adjustments?
David K.: Depends on where it is. From the hospital south, it is MassDOT’s responsibility and we forward it there. From the hospital north to downtown, it is ours.
David Moisan: I have to file a report on the signal at Pep Boys a year ago. It did have to go to MassDOT and I got a letter from them. I do understand the jurisdiction issues.
Andy: I tried getting in touch with the disabilities office at Salem State. The intersection at Loring, Canal and Lafayette has audible signals that need to be worked on. 80% of the time, they are not working. That is a dangerous area, not only for me, but for the student pedestrians too.
David K.: Good news. We are looking at improvements around Raymond Rd. That road is a cut-through and very busy. The intersection at Lafayette and Loring is getting video cameras and improved timing; it is very messed up. We’re hoping to keep people from having to cut through Raymond Rd. as they often do now.
Other Business
Bill S604 -an act to protect residents of subsidized housing, Jim Nowlan
Jim Nowlan: Bill S.604 is an act to stop bullying and harassment of elderly and disabled residents in public housing. This is an act to protect residents of subsidized, family, housing from bullying. It has been submitted to the General Court by Gerry Halberstadt. This is part of the Stop Bullying Coalition. They can be reached at 978-595-1936 or stopbullyingcoalition@gmail.com.
Lisa: Do we want a letter of support? Something that Debra or Andy can sign?
Lisa made a motion to direct Debra to write a letter of support. The motion was carried.
David T.: Next time, have a representative of any petition drive or such appear as a guest here.
David Moisan: There’s no harm done, but in the future, I’d rather have the details presented before we sign off on anything like this. No one wants to write bad legislation; everyone wants to do good by their own lights. But we cannot possibly do everything and support every bill someone advocates to us. A friend of mine I won’t name had a guest promoting some legislation that was for the benefit of children. But I saw this person on TV twice now and I have no idea what the legislation does or even if it is worth supporting! We have to be more careful. We can’t possibly endorse everyone.
Debra L.: I will review it for you.
Lisa: That is a good point by David. If we put it on the agenda first we should be able to deal with it.
David Moisan: There are just a lot of things that are not in our jurisdiction in the first place. There was a gentleman who had us in circles talking about how none of us on the Commission were real disability advocates, and he did not use our time very well at all. I do not want to go through that again.
Debra L. proposed a motion to conclude the meeting. Motion carried at 5:45 PM.
Next meeting is Tuesday, June 8th, 4:00 PM at Salem Access Television
Encouraging the Community to seek the Commission’s advice, Jim Nowlan
Next meeting June 18, 2013
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