ager msager@eagletribune.com
As written in the July 31, 2023 edition of the Eagle Tribune
METHUEN — The city is pursuing a grant to develop a comprehensive city-wide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transitional Plan, to update the old outline.
“Such a plan will help identify areas that require improvement and create a roadmap for further accessibility enhancements,” ADA and DEI Coordinator Sandy Almonte wrote in an email. “We are pursuing grant funding on specific projects as well.”
Earlier in July, Mayor Neil Perry sent information from the Massachusetts Office on Disability in an email to Almonte, Christine Touma Conway, chief of staff; Patrick Bower, director of public works; John Wilson, director of economic and community development; and Linda Sheehan, executive director of the Methuen Senior Center.
Perry said he would like to apply to the Massachusetts Office on Disabilities’ grant program to “go after some improvement funding.” Methuen’s most recent ADA Transitional Plan dates back to 2001.
“Despite the date of this plan, the City of Methuen has made considerable progress in advancing accessibility and continually working on improving its facilities,” Almonte wrote.
The 2001 plan lays out areas the city administration found needed improvement during a review in the summer of 2000. This plan followed one in 1994, which was “successful in setting the groundwork to oblige with ADA standards,” according to the 2001 paperwork.
Actions such as installing self-closing stall doors in accessible restrooms at the Comprehensive Grammar School, making two previously inaccessible water fountains accessible at Methuen High School, and installing curb cuts on sidewalks at the Mayor’s office were all completed. The most recent action taken in the plan, however, seems to be in 2003.
With the Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program, Methuen would be able to have capital improvement support for programmatic access as well as to remove barriers encountered by people with disabilities in citywide facilities.
For a planning grant that Perry suggested, the Massachusetts Office on Disability would provide up to $250,000 to assist Methuen in creating or updating a self-evaluation or transition plan as required under Title II of the ADA.
“Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that demonstrate real and tangible impacts to persons with disabilities,” the Massachusetts Office on Disability wrote in its grant announcement. The application opens Aug. 1 and closes Sept. 15.
The City addresses residents’ complaints monthly through reporting on SeeClickFix, according to Almonte.
At the time of writing, the oldest ADA-related request still open in the system is from Nov. 18, 2022, about the sidewalk in front of 6 Tremont St., being “completely crumbled.”
The City of Methuen wrote the day the complaint was filed that it was assigned to “Stephanie – DPW.” Six months later, in May, Methuen SeeClickFix Admin wrote that “due to a prolonged period of inactivity” the request would be closed. The user who made the request wrote that the issue was a “safety problem” and was not resolved. They also sent photos and said the assignment “seems to have gone into the black hole.”
“We were just trying to keep up…Since I’ve taken office, we’re trying to keep up,” Perry said. “This is a tough kettle of fish.”
Other sidewalk reports have been filed and remain open or “acknowledged” in the SeeClickFix system, including one on July 4, at 28 Stevens St., and one from July 14 at 233 Lawrence St.
Another complaint filed in April stated that in 2015 the City of Methuen resurfaced accessible spaces at Nevins Memorial Library, at 305 Broadway. “The slope when entering the space exceeds the minimum slope,” the complaint states. “Because of such this makes it very dangerous for a person with walking across the area or when having to walk around their vehicle.” The complaint was assigned to Almonte and remains open.
Almonte noted Methuen had recently worked to improve the playgrounds at the Comprehensive Grammar School and Forest Lake as well as work on the Stadium and the Pleasant Street sidewalks. Perry said that the city has suspended its contract to redo sidewalks on Broadway because the work would not have complied properly with accessibility rights.
The city has work scheduled on Gill Avenue’s Park to overhaul it as part of a capital improvement project, according to Almonte. The project will start on Sept. 5, and it will include many accessibility features.
“By undertaking these initiatives, the City of Methuen is striving to create a more inclusive environment, ensuring that all residents and visitors can access and enjoy public spaces without barriers,” Almonte wrote. “The city’s dedication to ADA improvements contributes to fostering a community that values diversity and equal opportunities for everyone.”
Comment:
Letters to the editor Methuen track record on ADA not so shiny
To the editor:
A recent article about Methuen’s compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act presented a one-sided picture. Your reporter spoke only with the mayor and the non-credentialed “ADA coordinator “ who gaslighted her. Had she talked to an advocate for the disability community she would have learned of the many years of efforts to get the city to comply with the ADA.
For example, the handicapped parking spaces at the high school have been out of compliance for years, since the school renovation. Efforts to get the city to correct this error have been fruitless, resulting in no access to public meetings and sporting events for people with disabilities.
There are many more examples of the city’s failure to provide access which could have been explored in your article, giving the residents a more honest understanding of our city’s commitment to accessibility for all.
EVELYN TOBIN Methuen
Sid Harris