September 2009
Worth Park District
The Worth Park District has retained RAC for a system-wide access audit of all recreation sites and facilities. RAC staff will conduct the work starting in fall, 2009. Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo and RAC staff will meet on October 7 to review sites. Staff will conduct the site audits and draft reports for the Park District.
River Trails Park District
The River Trails Park District has retained RAC for a system-wide access audit of all recreation sites and facilities. RAC staff will meet with Superintendent of Recreation Karen Kiester on September 28. Site audits will begin shortly thereafter. Executive Director Debbie Carlson-Kudla said the Board recognizes the time is right for the access audit, and that the findings will help guide the work of the District in the future.
Letters...We Get Letters
An Illinois special recreation association wrote to ask about ramps and bowling alleys after an employee fell and injured herself at an inaccessible bowling alley. Bowling alleys are required, in the final US Access Board guidelines, to make 5% but no fewer than one of each type of bowling lane on an accessible route. (See ADA/ABA Guidelines section 206.2.11 at www.access-board.gov.)
This is not a difficult requirement to meet. For newly constructed alleys, make certain that a sloped entry not exceeding 5% leads to a minimum of 1 of every 20 lanes. The sloped entry can be as steep as 8.33% but then must be treated as a ramp.
For existing facilities, many temporary ramp solutions are worth considering. Much like a bowling ball ramp, a temporary access ramp could be kept at the business and made available when necessary. It would be important here to announce it is available and to train staff on the cheerful deployment of the ramp.
Don’t forget that businesses making access retrofits are eligible for a tax incentive. A tax deduction is available to all businesses, and for small businesses, a tax credit is also available.
As a reminder, the Access Board ADA/ABA Final Guidelines have not yet been incorporated into final and enforceable accessible design standards. However, the departments of Justice, Interior, and Education use the Access Board final guidelines in settlement agreements. As we like to say here, if it is good enough for Justice, it is good enough for your parks and recreation agency.
ADA Title II and Public Parks and Recreation
In working on a proposal with a prospective client, we had occasion to dust off an early 2009 FAQ about the application of Title II to public parks and recreation. We modified it a bit and it is available to you at this link: http://www.wtengineering.com/images/title-2-americans-with-disabilities-act.pdf. Feel free to use this when discussing the ways in which Title II of the ADA applies to public parks and recreation programs, policies, sites, and facilities.
This FAQ is not legal advice. Parks and recreation agencies seeking legal advice regarding the ADA should seek an attorney familiar and experienced with the ADA who also understands public parks and recreation.
IPRA Webinar
RAC President John McGovern will conduct a Webinar for the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) on Wednesday, September 23 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. titled “Smart Practices for the Use of the Special Recreation Levy.”
Illinois systems are unique with an independent unit of local government known as park districts, which have a special property tax that can be used only for jointly coordinated recreation services for people with disabilities. The special recreation levy is the only operating levy for any unit of local government that is exempt from the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL). As park districts and municipalities that are a part of a special recreation association use this levy for access and inclusion projects, many exciting and important access and inclusion goals have been met. This session will review the statutory requirements for this levy and discuss smart practices in the use of the special recreation levy. Participants will have an opportunity to: 1) Discuss and understand the statutory requirements of the special recreation levy; 2) Discuss and debate the key definitions within the levy; and 3) Discuss smart practices for the use of this levy.
If you are interested in attending the webinar, go to this link http://ilipra.org/Events/ViewEvent.cfm?EventID=1268 for the online information and registration information.
NRPA Congress
RAC will exhibit once again at the NRPA Congress in Salt Lake City on October 14, 15 and 16. Our Booth is #803. Stop by to visit with RAC President John McGovern, Scott Triphahn, President, W-T Engineering or Senior Project Manager Shelley Zuniga.