Dalton Town Hall Lift Out of Order, ADA Picnic Tables

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Town Hall lift is still out of order so public meetings are only being held when the library is open.
 
ADA coordinator Alyssa Maschino told the Americans with Disabilities Committee this week that although someone from Garaventa Lift came out to repair it, during a test ride it stopped working again. 
 
The committee is still waiting to hear back from Garaventa Lift on a quote for the cost of a new lift requested last fall.  
 
The committee intends on applying for a Municipal Americans with Disabilities Act Improvement grant to cover the cost of the replacement. 
 
However, the project was delayed because the current lift servicer, Garaventa Lift, informed the town that the new weight limit went from 400 pounds to 650 pounds. 
 
With the new weight limit requirement, the town needs to determine if the current railings can hold 650 pounds, Maschino said during a previous meeting. 
 
Hill Engineering is analyzing options to determine if there is a better place to install a lift, which is currently in the Police Department. 
 
The study cost $5,500 and came from the town engineering budget. The committee hopes to have the completed study by the end of March and will explore funding options at a future meeting. 
 
It intends to request funds for the engineering of a new lift at the town meeting in May. 
 
It was announced during the committee meeting that the town was approved for an ADA grant in the amount of $6,414.31, which will cover the cost of seven accessible picnic tables, two at each of the three town parks and one at the library. 
 
Maschino will talk to the Highway Department to see if it can pour concrete at the parks so that the tables can be installed. 
 
The round metal picnic tables have three seats with one open spot for wheelchair users. The project has to be done by the end of June to be covered by the grant. 
 
In the town ADA evaluation plan, it was noted that one of the general issues throughout town parks and playgrounds is the lack of accessible benches and tables. 
 
Although completion this project has a tight timeline, accomplishing it on time improves the committee's chances in being accepted for future grants, ADA committee member Lyn Clements said 
 
During a previous meeting the board considered getting picnic tables through Amazon at a cost of about $8,000 for half-dozen. The ends of those table extend outward so a wheelchair user can easily sit there
 
Instead, Maschino said they will be ordered at the lower price of $6,414.31 through Massachusetts Correctional Industries, part of the state Department of Corrections' vocational programs. 
 
In other news: 
 
The committee invested in a wireless doorbell that will let library staff know when a wheelchair user needs assistance gaining access to the building since there isn't an automatic door system on the inside door. The system cost approximately $40. 
 
Maschino was unsure if this system has a video option that connects to devices. 
 
• The committee hopes to have a full five-person panel next month and intends on voting for a chair and vice chair once the committee is full. 
 
Committee member Patrick Pettit recommended that they look into expanding the seats to seven rather than five so there are still enough members in case a couple members decide to leave or are absent. 
 
Committee members said they have heard from residents expressing an interest in joining.

 


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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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