Salem Commission on Disabilities
April 16th, 2013
4:00P.M
Salem Access TV, 285 Derby Street
Introductions
Debra Lobsitz, Stephen Russell, David Tracht, Bill Legault, Jeff Dougan, Jennifer Barz-Snell, Jean Harrison, Lisa Camaratta, Mike Fields, Andrew J. LaPointe, David Moisan, Jim Nowlan.
Debra Lobsitz: Before we continue, let us observe a moment of silence to mark yesterday’s Boston Marathon bombing.
Guest speaker: Dr. Stephen Russell, Superintendent Salem Public Schools
David Tracht: I am pleased to introduce Dr. Stephen Russell. We have talked about establishing a scholarship for selected disabled students who can make a difference in our community. There are other opportunities, such as playground equipment.
Could you talk about demographics?
Stephen Russell: Thank you for giving me the opportunities.
One student has spina bifida. Another has lost a leg. Another has had a significant hearing loss. On a smaller scale, I have had a cast on my leg for 12 weeks; it’s a great way to get empathy.
David Tracht: If you have two students going to college, perhaps $500 each or $750. Or even perhaps a student interested in the disability field.
We aren’t interested in selecting the students; that would be the school’s job.
Jeff Dougan: So a lot of commissions have looked at this, and a few have implemented it.
Lisa Cammaratta: Doesn’t it have to be used to benefit the community as a whole?
Jeff Dougan: It is an open scholarship, but you can set the requirements. In Scituate, the guidance counselor evaluates candidates. It was an open process.
Jeff Dougan: The intent of funding for the Commissions was not to limit it to municipal projects, but for a wide variety of programs including scholarships. I’m not sure where the snags would be—we have not heard from any other towns that have had questions about it. It [22B] is deliberately open-ended and loose.
It is not the whole budget of the Commission going towards the scholarship? It’s just a small part in an open process, correct?
Debra: I investigated what other commissions have done and looked at Needham’s. A question came up whether it would be appropriate to award scholarships. Needham’s wording is that the scholarship is awarded to the school and the school selects a candidate, or decides how best to use the award.
It’s a different award for a different person every year, I’m not sure if that gets around the prohibition of no individual awards.
Jeff Dougan: We at Scituate worked with the school but did not interact with the school in any way to select the candidate; they did that. Our interpretation was that it benefited the school and its students.
Lisa: Let me talk with the city solicitor and come back next month with a recommendation.
Andy: I have been trying to do a scholarship for 10 years. I even tried organizing a bikeathon, before we had the budget we do now. Can we have enough information to put this to a voice vote?
Lisa: I agree. Let me talk with the solicitor and with Jeff.
Andy: Dr. Russell, next week, I will be working with the DASH program with the Triton School system, working with the 2nd graders. The 2nd graders work with visual impairments and learn braille and how to use a stylus and work in a mock restaurant while blindfolded. I bring Braille cards, posters of guide dogs and such. A while back, I tried to make this pass in Salem, but it takes a lot of people with a lot of involvement.
3rd graders, for instance, work with mobility impairments and chair users and hearing impairments.
David Tracht: What about motivational speakers?
Jeff: Needham was doing a kind of outreach. I want to go back to 22B; the language is throwing people off.
It was intended to be an open-ended funding program.
Old Business
Training for Curb Cuts: An update from Jeff Dougan
Jeff: For the curb cut training, we had to put that on hold because my other staff member is out indefinitely. I could not commit to it being short on staff. I want to revisit it in May when my staffer returns. I’m afraid to commit to it otherwise. I know it’s important to have here. The season, though, looks like it’s already started, at least in Peabody.
It’s not off the table, it’s just postponed.
Lisa: We have done training like this all year. I can find out where we are in our training cycle and coordinate that.
Andy: In the fall.
Jeff: Hopefully, well before winter, in July or August perhaps.
Assistive Listening System purchase
Debra: Lisa, we need an update. You were going to submit a proposal?
Lisa: I thought we would explain to the group what we wanted to do. We liked what you demonstrated for us but we wanted to update the group and bring it to a vote.
Lisa: We were talking about compatibility issues, right, David?
David Moisan: I put a request to Hartling a month ago to get a printed catalog. As far as compatibility, the system that we proposed that night was acceptable. But I wanted SATV to have a compatible system for itself.
We had decided to buy a fixed system for City Council and a portable system for other meetings.
I will take the specs on the City Council fixed system and apply that to the SATV purchase in a separate procedure.
Unfortunately I don’t know when this will come before SATV. The most sensitive parts of our franchise process are going on right now. I did talk with SATV’s chairman, Charlie Walsh, and he knows I will propose it.
Once the city has its fixed system, SATV will buy an identical fixed system of our own for use within the building. We are very familiar with the kinds of audio systems that are used for assistive listening, and our executive director knows of the process and is supporting me.
Debra: We have proposed a transmitter with 6 to 8 receivers. The receivers can have headsets or telecoils. You can’t wear headsets over hearing aids due to feedback, so we connect neckloops instead. We suggest 6 to 8 headphones and two neckloops. That will come in around $700-$1000.
Lisa: That is a doable figure.
Andy: Where will we purchase it?
Lisa: We will buy from Hartling Associates as Debra has suggested.
Debra: That company is on the state contract.
Debra: The other setup would be very similar. This would be a transmitter that connects with the existing audio equipment—this is what City Hall would use. After today, I would like to have a single microphone in the center of the table.
David Moisan: Yes, I have designed our system to use this. The flat plate in the center of the table is called a PZM mike. We’ve used them for years. I have used them to record these meetings. What I will do is consult with Sal Russo and put together a combination of a fixed system and a portable transmitter.
We have our own suppliers that can provide professional audio. When we do our meetings, that microphone on the table will provide our audio. I’ll find out soon how well it works. In summary, we will use my TV audio system for transmitting the audio to my assistive device. I’m using a telecoil connected to my ham radio to listen right now.
Debra: The advantage of coordination is that if there is a large audience, we can pool our receivers.
David Moisan: Absolutely!
Andy: We are waiting for SATV to make a decision?
David Moisan: I’m waiting for Lisa to put forth a recommendation in email, restating what we have already discussed, with particular order numbers. I have the catalog and all the specs. I’ll then approve it to Lisa and then proceed with SATV. I’m not sure when but it will be as soon as I can manage it.
Andy: We don’t have a lot of people waiting, but I want to get this done.
David Moisan: Yes, absolutely. Once we get the system, SATV will test it for the City, or rather, I will test it. I’ll train the staff. Test it some more. And boom, put up the sign in the Council chambers and away we go!
Debra: Also write a description for the city web site.
Andy: We wanted to have citizens or attendees leave something with the City Clerk as surety when reserving a headset.
Lisa: A driver’s license or an ID?
Debra: We don’t want to take it necessarily. These will be loaned to residents. You might want to take their name and address but not take a license. People forget and bring them home, but they’re very apologetic.
David Moisan: Remember that it is possible that a non-resident, like a developer or someone with an interest before the council may need to use a system. We can’t deny them the use of the system.
Andy: I make a motion for a vote.
David Moisan: Lisa, what is the minimum limit before it has to go out to bid?
Lisa: The vendor is on the state vendor list. I recommend $3000.
Andy: I move to take a vote. The motion is seconded.
Vote on Authorizing Purchase of Assistive Listening Systems for City Hall and 120 Washington St.
The motion to purchase an assistive listening system for an amount not exceeding $3000 is APPROVED by a unanimous show of hands.
Tedesco Country Club Update
Andy: Jim and I went to Tedesco last Thursday. They’ve been advised to apply for a variance on their parking issues. I’m not sure how that it would go, but I don’t think they’ll get the variance. It’s in process. It’s been two years and I hope this comes to an end very soon.
New Business
YMCA Renovation
Mike Fields: We met informally with some of you last week to walk through a project at the YMCA where we are restoring historic Ames Hall. We swapped entrances with the Housing Authority and restored the historic grand entrance.
We found two access issues during our restoration. First, we want to restore the entrance, and provide an accessible path within the building, and secondly, we want to restore the two-sided balcony. The YMCA was interested to bring that back. We cannot, however, feasibly add elevator access to the balcony.
We walked people through the entrance approach from Essex St., a large marble staircase of 34 steps which was a grand entrance in the day. It’s also not feasible to provide access by that grand staircase. We wanted to use one of the existing elevators to get access to the theatre, and build ramps and access ways to the rest of the building.
It was recommended that we call the state access commission [MAAB] to go through the process.
The threshold of accessibility is going to be surpassed—this is a $1 million dollar project—so the whole space will have to be made accessible.
Andy: After looking at the drawings, it appears that the balcony is the only thing I’m not certain about. I’m sure if you go to the MAAB and apply for a variance, they would.
Jeff: You will definitely be evaluated on the total value of the building. Even if it is a historic entrance, you still have to apply for a variance. The access board will not just give you a variance based on the historic considerations alone. Once you start doing other work to the building, you will surpass the 30% threshold no matter what you do.
Mike: We thought, looking at the laws, there just has to be one entrance accessible.
Jeff: The MAAB may take that interpretation; the historic entrance may not have to be accessible, but there does need to be an entrance. That’s where you need the variance.
Andy: They just want to see if the Commission will support it.
Bill Legault: I will speak in favor of the historical preservation. The balcony in Ames Hall needs to stay. I support this.
Andy: What happens now?
Debra: We needed to know what our next step is. Do we need to provide you with a letter? How do we demonstrate approval?
Jeff: Draft a letter with all the points we have discussed, for review, and send it to the MAAB after we’ve reviewed it.
Debra: Are we in collective agreement?
David M.: I’m too young to experience the old Y. It was run down in the 1970’s when I used it. I don’t like to make moral judgments on whether a project is “good” or “bad” for Salem. I defer to the MAAB to decide the details; they do this kind of work 40 hours a week while just meet once a month.
What I can say is that I will support the YMCA bringing a proposal to the MAAB for a variance. We want to help you catch anything you missed, but as far as I can tell, you have a good case for a variance. I appreciate the courtesy. I really do. The architects and developers can go to the MAAB at any time. I don’t want to present another hoop to go through. We have enough on our agenda.
Jeff: A caveat: The MAAB does weigh the Commission’s feedback. The MAAB will deliver their variance application to the building inspector, the Commission and the Independent Living Center.
Lisa: We have verbal support now. Once we have provided written support that should be good.
Debra: The balcony seating is just 50 seats out of a number of seats.
Jeff: The MAAB will want to see if there is a real benefit to people in the balcony versus not in the balcony. They will need to be reassured that patrons will have the same experiences in the facility no matter where they sit. I think you have an argument based on the costs of making the balcony accessible.
Andy: Acoustics are a big problem for a blind person, and being able to understand speech in such a large space as the Ames Hall.
Mike: We talked to a theatre expert and he told us the balcony would be tough, in regards to acoustics. We don’t have a lot of money to work with. It could be $200-300K just to make the balcony accessible; this could stop our project in its tracks.
Wheelchair Accessible taxi
Andy: This should be brought up next month. It’s a very sensitive topic.
Accessibility Icon Project
SCOD blog: Andrew LaPointe
Andy: A couple months ago I asked Councilor Legault to help get our meetings on Salem Patch. I contacted Owen Boss, and then Owen, or Bill, suggested we start a blog.
Bill: The blog would belong to the Commission. You can post as often or infrequently as you want. You can have multiple people posting. You can have video highlights.
David Moisan: I had my own blog for a number of years that I used as an unofficial Commission blog. I am burned out. I had a lot of fun taking photos of the Bypass Road, now known as the Ayube Riverway. You can do almost anything. It is a frontier of blogging; there were some commissions and politicians doing this. I want to chronicle the Salem Depot project, but I am so burned out.
Bill: Don’t get caught up in the term “blog”. It can be whatever you want, you can have notices, meeting minutes, links and etcetera.
Andy: Would the Commission like to do this? I understand what David is saying, you made yours a full-time blog.
Lisa: Do we need be careful with editorial control?
Bill: You need to grapple with it—it is an internal issue. You can do public service announcements.
Andy: I asked our city solicitor about this, and she said as long as we are not discussing issues online with a quorum, we don’t have a problem. We do have a note on each email called “not for discussion.”
Lisa: If we find ourselves with an issue in email we need to table it there, and bring it to the full Commission in a meeting.
Jeff: Or form a subcommittee that is under a quorum. Just be very cautious around email. It’s OK to use email to coordinate the meetings or other business.
Debra: We perhaps need a meeting on Open Meeting law.
Lisa: We have inservice training. We are approving projects with money so we need to step up our game.
Andy: I got the idea for the blog because I have had a lot of problems dealing with the Salem Gazette. It’s not me, everyone else has a difficult time with them.
Fidelco Walk
Andy: June 9th will be the Third Fidelco Walk.
David Moisan: I will walk then, and I will record video.
Next meeting May 21st, 2013, David Knowlton, City Engineer
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