A well-intended plan to allow physically-challenged people to access the top floor of city hall is misguided, according to Mac Fraser, City of Powell River chief administrative officer. He says there are more efficient options available.
In a report submitted to the committee of the whole February 6, Fraser said that in August 2013 city staff was directed to find options to provide access for physically-challenged persons to the top floor of city hall for municipal and day-to-day meetings with elected officials and staff.
The staircase to the third floor where the chambers are currently located was assessed for installation of an electric chair lift, but it was determined that the structure would not support it.
Another option was that council use either the Evergreen Theatre at Powell River Recreation Complex, or the Arbutus Room, should the stage in the Evergreen be found to be inaccessible, for council meetings. Through discussion with council it was discovered that the stage was not accessible to councillor Chris McNaughton, who recently returned to his position after surviving a stroke last August. “The adjacent Arbutus Room can provide a superior venue with full accessibility,” Fraser explained. “In one simple gesture council can achieve full accessibility to municipal public meetings with a minimum of cost.” This was suggested as a temporary fix that could be initiated without delay, while a final permanent option was put into place.
A proposal for an elevator on the Duncan Street face of the building came with an estimated cost of $107,410. A large part of this amount was quoted for special equipment needed for a wheelchair-accessible elevator at $42,900. “Staff determined this to be excessive and unnecessary in light of other options,” Fraser explained “The elevator would actually access the far corner of the committee room, not even a convenient location. It’s prohibitively expensive.”
Fraser said it was his opinion that council should reconsider the task that lay before it. “I propose that the well-intended plan to allow physically challenged persons to access the top floor of city hall for public meetings and to meet with elected officials and staff is misguided and that there are more efficient options available.” The most favourable option, in his opinion, would see council chambers move to the existing library once a new library location was found. “The first two floors of city hall are already accessible to the physically challenged. Only the top floor is not. If the chambers were to re-locate to the existing library location, the second floor of the building could be used for meeting rooms.” The top floor would then, under this plan, be used for offices presently located on the Duncan Street level, or second floor.
Fraser pointed out that the permanent vacating of the current council chambers and committee room would provide the opportunity to cost-effectively address the second issue of accessibility: day-to-day meetings with elected officials and staff. “The proposed re-location of the planning services staff would require them, as well as the mayor and CAO, to walk downstairs to meet with any physically-challenged member of the public in one of three dedicated meeting rooms,” he said. “The cost of such a re-allocation would be approximately $30,000 to reconfigure the vacated chambers for the five staff members. This would actually be a superior arrangement for all meetings in contrast to the current office and meeting room configuration in city hall. In any case, while waiting for the relocation to take place, I recommend that council put itself out and make a commitment to convene committee and council meetings at the recreation complex. The implementation of recommendations in the report would advance the strategic priorities of Live Within Our Means and Governance priorities.”
The implementation of the recommendation would provide accessibility to city public meetings and meetings with elected officials and would present a nominal cost, compared to the estimate to install an elevator to the top floor of city hall.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
