AURORA | Plans are underway for a $1.9 million accessibility update for the city council chambers to bring the space in line with federal standards.
Earlier this year, the city identified a number of accessibility issues with the council chambers not meeting the standards defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act and, in July, brought forward a plan to make the needed adjustments.
The plan would add two ramps, expand the council’s dais and add accessible seating to the audience area of the chamber. Construction is expected to start next year and take six to eight months, with an estimated cost of $1.9 million.
At the July 27 study session, council members were largely supportive of moving the plan forward, though they plan to have further discussion about how council meetings will be adjusted during construction and whether the meetings will have to be virtual.
The chambers will not be able to be used during construction because the audio and visual technology will have to be removed, according to city staff.
“To have to go back and redo construction to try and add (the dais expansion) later on would be more expensive and who’s to say that next election somebody in a wheelchair won’t be elected and then would they be able to access their chair correctly or have all the same mobility options that we have,” Councilmember Amy Wiles said. “So to me I think it’s a no-brainer.”
Councilmember Françoise Bergan had concerns about the cost of the project and said she supported the work so long as the funding wasn’t diverted from other projects.
City Manager Jason Batchelor said the funding will come from the capital projects fund and some money has already been set aside for the work.
The main changes to the chamber would be the addition of ramps from the top of the room to the assembly area, where the speaker podium is for public comment, and a ramp to the dais, as well as the expansion of the dais to ensure enough space for a wheelchair to maneuver behind the desk.
A January assessment of the council chambers determined that there currently aren’t accessible paths available to the dais or the assembly area. The chambers currently have a lift to take wheelchair users from the top of the chambers down to the assembly area, but the lift doesn’t meet ADA standards.
In addition, there are too few wheelchair seating options, the wheelchair accessible spaces are not vertically distributed throughout the chambers and the accessible chairs do not conform to ADA standards. Some smaller issues include signage and switches being too high up on walls, staff desks not providing enough knee clearance and the chamber doors being too heavy.
During public comment at the July 27 meeting, Aly Dewills-Marcano, an Aurora resident who uses a wheelchair, said she is glad that council is finally moving forward with investing in infrastructure that is equally accessible to disabled residents. In her public comments, Dewills-Marcano has frequently encouraged the council to improve the chambers’ accessibility.
Dewills-Marcano also put the cost into perspective, noting the city has identified more than $2 billion in total capital project needs for the next decade.
“These accessibility improvements are expected to add virtually nothing to ongoing operating costs, and they will save the city from significant liability,” Dewills-Marcano said. “Ramps, widened pathways, accessible seating and other improvements require no specialized annual maintenance like the rickety pseudo-elevator we have now. So you may save the city in the long run. And like most accessibility improvements, they will serve everyone, even able-bodied Aurorans.”
To gather feedback on the proposed changes, the city will host a town hall at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Aurora Municipal Center in the Aurora Room. Comments can also be submitted online at the Engage Aurora website from Aug. 5 to Aug. 26.