5 Takeaways from meeting on funding accessibility improvements in Marblehead

Apr. 21—"Marblehead sidewalks and streets... they're in horrible disrepair, and their unsafe for travel for the disabled, or anyone," said Marblehead Disabilities Commission Chairperson Laurie Blaisdell when she opened the group's April meeting. "There was a recent survey done by the selectmen's office, and the streets and sidewalks were one of the main concerns."

Attending the April 8 Zoom session to talk about possible funding streams for improving access in Marblehead were state Rep. Lori Ehrlich and Jeffrey Dougan, who is assistant director of community services with the Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD).

Here are five takeaways from the meeting.

"There are a number of funding streams that are coming from the state level and they'll be accessible in different ways," Ehrlich said.

On the legislative side, a transportation bundle will have money for streets.

On the budgeting side, Ehrlich is trying to get $100,000 for renovating the bathrooms on State Street.

There are two bills that Ehrlich will be keeping an eye on. They are in the docket stage:

House Docket 2107, an act removing barriers to work: This would extend the Mass. Architectural Access Board's regulatory authority to employee areas of public buildings and would expand its authority over the parking lots and sidewalks around public buildings. Current state code does not require that employee areas be accessible.

House Docket 2116, an act relative to expanding the availability of adaptable housing for consumers with disabilities , mobility impairment and seniors: This would make more public housing functional for people with disabilities. Depending on the size and scope of the development or renovations, a certain percentage of units would have to be fully accessible and a percentage would need to be adaptable.

"The Complete Streets Program, that is a funding stream that maybe we can keep an eye on for sidewalk improvements," Ehrlich said "There will be more funding for that really popular program coming out to communities soon."

Marblehead has a Complete Streets prioritization plan that includes two dozen projects that they hope to get funding for annually.

MOD offers a Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program. Improvements can be made for communication access or physical building access, which would include sidewalks. MOD can grant up to $250K to a town or city, and the cycle opens in late July or early August.

"It's a competitive grant program," Dougan said. "We have about two million dollars to give back."

Blaisdell said the regulations on accessibility of harbors and waters refer to boating slips, but Marblehead has no boating slips.

"Is there a way of changing that language to be boating access so that if you have ramps— launching ramps, ramps that you walk down—is there any way to change that language so it would trigger the accessibility requirements," Blaisdell asked. "It's the barriers to get down to a dock, or even a launch site... there isn't any access in town and it's not required."

"There are two things we have to really look at for accessibility," Dougan said. "It's the state building code as well as the ADA design standards, and they greatly differ on this particular topic. If it was a boat slip, access to launch ramps and kayak ramps... there are very specific technical requirements under the ADA design standards."

The ADA design standards don't require every single launch or access point to be accessible, Dougan explained, but they require that the town increase access. One possibility is to start with a central location and then branch out. The town's accessibility transition plans could incorporate this.

ADA design standards, which took effect in 2012, are more up to date than the state regulations, which are from 2006. The process for updating the state regulations was stalled after a review subcommittee formed in 2008. MOD has a seat on the Mass. Architectural Access Board, and Dougan hopes the process will start up again soon.

"What we're aiming for is that we're a one-book state, right," Dougan explained. "When you come in and if you do this project using the Architectural Access Board codes you'll meet not only the public rights of way guidelines, not only the 2010 ADA design standards, not only the fair housing regulations, not only meeting the ANSI standards, the IBC codes, that all deal with accessibility."

ANSI refers to the American National Standards Institute, and IBC refers to the International Building Code.

It takes time to get legislation passed and to update regulations. In the meantime, resources for individuals, municipalities, and businesses are available.

The Marblehead Disabilities Commission website, MarbleheadAble.org, has links to organizations, questions and tips, suggestions on making your home accessible, and a list of businesses and places in town that are accessible.

The Massachusetts Office on Disability, https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-office-on-disability, has everything from regulations to upcoming events and training webinars.

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