AURORA | Aurora’s City Council put off renovations that would make its meeting space more accessible to wheelchair users on Monday, saying they will wait for a revised cost estimate and a list of city facilities requiring similar work.
Currently, members of the public who use a wheelchair must use a lift to access the floor of the Paul Tauer Council Chamber — for example, if they want to make a public comment. To access the dais, wheelchair users enter the chamber via a ramp extending downward from the adjacent Aurora Room.
While Elly Watson of Aurora’s Public Works Department said the council chamber complies with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, other council members described the lack of a ramp leading to the floor of the chamber as degrading for wheelchair users.
“The current option we have with the lift for public comment is, frankly, humiliating,” Councilmember Curtis Gardner said. “If we had extensive public comment from the disabled public, and we had public commenter after public commenter where that had to happen, I think it would be embarrassing for us to have to sit through that.”
Watson told the council during their Monday study session that the proposed project would involve building a ramp that would extend to the floor of the council chamber through where a storage room currently exists.
The existing lift would be removed to make room for another ramp leading to the dais. Additional accessible seating would also be added, and the room would be repainted and recarpeted during the construction, which would take several months.
The work would cost about $840,000 in addition to about $113,000 that the city has spent already on design and permit fees. And the council would either have to return to meeting remotely, which staffers recommended, or meet in a lower-occupancy space like the Aurora Room for the duration of the work.
Funding for the project would include about $750,000 of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation as well as $203,000 in building repair funds.
While Deputy City Manager Laura Perry suggested that only building the ramp to the floor of the chamber would cost less and allow the council to continue meeting in the space during construction, staffers were unable to provide an estimate of the cost savings.
Ultimately, a majority of council members agreed that the council should wait for the city to ask for bids for building the single ramp and wait for staffers to provide a list of other city facilities that have yet to be brought into compliance with the ADA.
“I am a little concerned,” said Mayor Mike Coffman. “We have one-time federal funds, and we’re spending them on a (facility) that’s ADA-compliant, and we have outstanding (facilities) that are not ADA-compliant.”
Gardner and Councilmember Crystal Murillo both objected to postponing the work. Watson estimated it would take between three and four months to again solicit bids.
Looks like Curtis and the child legislator think spending $840,000 to make a ADA building more ADA compliant just in case there is a string of wheelchairs that might show up on some future meeting. This is after spending $113,000 to study this ludicrous idea for only a few Aurora citizens.
My take is that the ADA compliant City Hall is not what is “frankly humiliating” but the idea to spend almost a million dollars for potentially so few people on something that is not broken.
I think you can do better, Curtis, spending our limited tax dollars. I feel poorly for any conservative that comes up with and approves this idea. This is something that the child legislator would approve with her lack of caring for our tax dollars and her socialist ideas. Spend until the money is all gone.
Maybe, I missed the point and the City Council wants everyone in a wheelchair to move to Aurora where they think they will be first in citizen priority. Is this the idea? Does anyone know how many Aurora citizens are in a wheelchair? Is that even relevant? This whole idea seems to me that I do not have all the information and the whole idea is very strange.
Are you kidding me? You just don’t give a flying f about disabled people then? Democracy and participation in the democratic process is supposed to be for EVERYONE. Even if it’s a few! If you don’t believe that, you should probably leave America, because that’s the point of our country.
You got me wrong. I think people in wheel chairs should lead and rule the world. People with no common sense, like you, should be silent.
Your point about leaving the good old USA, is well taken, though and my wife and I are considering it. Just to leave people like you.
“Lead and rule the world”… but not be able to get into a building?
I’ll be happy to see you go! Bye!!
See you, but not soon.
In 2020, USA Facts reported that 30% of veterans were classified as having disabilities. Aurora has always prided itself as being “home” for many of our military-base retirees. So, Dick, we have sort of asked and welcomed those with disabilities to move to our community, including those who use wheelchairs.
If I recall, this project was another expensive virtue signal pushed by former CM Marcano (whose wife sometimes uses a wheelchair and had to take the side entrance to the speaker floor.) Just like Coffman said, bring all facilities up to ADA compliance before you spend six figures to make this one more compliant.
If this is true, this might be some of the missing information that I was alluding.
It was indeed brought forward by Marcano. Coombs or the mayor can confirm and it is in the public record.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990, and 34 years later we are still retrofitting buildings? In a 2010 ADA advisory letter, the Department of Justice commented, “… There is no “grandfather clause” in the ADA that exempts older facilities…” Danger, danger Will Robinson – our city is studying their way to a lawsuit!