Sid Harris
September, 18, 2023
Why does this city try to find ways not to make entities in our community accessible? The city decided to renovate the office at the cemetery, an office available to the public but decided not make the restroom accessible.
Since I receive no support from city councilors as well as the mayor on the subject of ADA compliance and I’m not allowed a seat at the table to help Methuen make good accessibility decisions I was forced to file a complaint with the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board. Of course instead of the city doing the right thing here they challenged it saying the restroom is not available to the public.
Now everyone knows, if you attended a funeral or any other event at the cemetery and you requested to use the restroom you were never denied.
So I wrote the following letter to city council and asked it to be read the meeting on September 18, 2023.
September 18, 2023
To: The Mehtuen City Council
My name is Sid Harris, I live at 2 Apple Blossom Way
I appreciate that the following be read during the public participation portion of this evening’s meeting.
I’m aware that the city recently renovated the Elmwood Cemetery Office and failed to include the restroom in making it accessible. I’m also aware that the city is claiming the restroom isn’t available for public use however, when funerals and other activities are being held at the cemetery a request to use the restroom is never denied.
Furthermore, Title I of the ADA requires accessible features for employees and the failure to remove architectural barriers in new construction or renovation phases is against all rules applied by the ADA and goes against all grains to make a community accessible.
This administration has adopted “diversity” as a course of action and doing so it allows for inclusion …and with inclusion comes opportunities. The failure during any planned construction phase should always identify architectural barriers and remove them, failure to do so eliminates that opportunity to people with disabilities.
If an employee works in that office who suffers a disability, or a person hired by the city having a disability would be discriminatory denied because the city failed to provide the opportunity during the renovation process.
To all city officials, please focus on the benefits of diversity to all who live and work in this city. Methuen should never find reasons not to make features accessible. Let’s do what’s right and work together to make an inclusive and accessible community for all.
Thank You.
