CONSENT ITEM - Dan Schluender, City Engineer
Title
ADOPT ADA TRANSITION PLAN
Background
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990. This law ensured that those with disabilities could not be a discriminated class of individuals. As such, public agencies are required to create a plan that identifies barriers and when these barriers will be corrected. Our representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of State Aid for Local Transportation have identified the City of Blaine as not having a plan in place. The City needs to have an ADA transition plan in place by September 2020, or at least demonstrate that we are in the process of creating a plan, or the city will not be eligible to receive federal funding for roadway projects.
The City contracted with WSB & Associates for professional services to create an ADA transition plan. There were several steps that the draft plan was required to go through to collect public input regarding accessibility concerns on the City’s existing network of sidewalks, trails and outlined timelines and strategies to address non-compliant pedestrian facilities within the city-owned right-of-way. To meet these requirements an Open House and a Public Hearing held at the Traffic Commission both on December 3, 2019. The draft ADA Transition Plan was also available for review on the City’s website at blainemn.gov from December 10, 2019 to January 10, 2020.
The City’s sidewalk and trail network includes curb ramps, traffic signals, and other amenities that assist individuals traveling by foot, wheelchair, or other non-motorized methods. The American Disability Act sets design standards for public right of way to meet the needs of people of all abilities. The Transition Plan has inventoried these items and identified the deficiencies with associated costs to correct. The plan outlines that the city will correct these items in coordination with street projects that contain the deficiencies.
Recommendation
By motion, Adopt the ADA Transition Plan.