The Commission on Disability on Monday agreed on hosting two events this fall regarding the town’s accessibility infrastructure and potential improvements.

The agreement followed a presentation from Capital Strategic Solutions (CSS), which was contracted by the Department of Public Works to put together an ADA self-evaluation and transition plan. The project was funded through a grant. 

Jennifer Thompson, a representative for CSS, led the discussion. “Hopkinton has already done a lot,” she stated at the outset of her presentation. 

She also stressed that the draft plan that resulted from the evaluation is a roadmap the town can use when making decisions “especially when it comes to investments and capital investments.”

Thompson rated Hopkinton as having a “strong foundation of accessibility” for the town facilities included in the evaluation. She noted that CSS consultants looked at properties including municipal buildings, parks, recreational facilities, trails and public parking lots as identified by the town.

CSS found that recent capital improvements reflected accessibility considerations, and that deficiencies identified during inspections were minor. The fire station on Main Street and the DPW facility were found to be “fully compliant” and the Fruit Street athletic complex had accessible parking, routes and restrooms with no barriers, Thompson explained.

“[There were] several facilities that didn’t have any architectural barriers that required corrective action,” she added.

Priority improvements discussed

In her presentation, Thompson clarified that the priority ranking for accessibility improvements as laid out in the draft plan had little correlation to cost. “Just because something is ranked a priority one doesn’t mean it’s the most expensive item,” she said. “It means it’s most directly tied to accessibility.”

Thompson recommended the commission focus on some short-term projects, such as parking signs and pavement markings, and build a larger strategy for plan implementation from there. She told members to “take care of some low-hanging fruit first” before working with the town to implement accessibility improvements into long-term capital improvement plans and operating budgets.

Additional short-term steps Thomspon suggested included making sure the town’s formal ADA grievance procedure was posted online and performing a field inventory looking at the town’s curb and sidewalks. She explained that CSS’ partner in the self-evaluation, BETA Group Inc., only completed a computerized assessment of this infrastructure.

DPW director Kerry Reed affirmed that the field assessment was an important consideration but would require additional grant funding. She noted plans to prioritize fixing sidewalks and other infrastructure from the Grove Street and Main Street intersection up to Hopkinton Middle School.

In addition, Reed stated that she was looking for guidance from the commission and the broader community about which projects to prioritize. She noted that the DPW would “be responsible for anything in the roadways, and assist with Parks & Recreation and … municipal parking lots.”

“I think it’s important for the commission to help the decision makers in town identify which barriers have the greatest impact on people with disabilities,” agreed Thompson.

Date set for public forum

With the draft plan complete, Reed noted a desire to have a public forum to discuss the recommendations and priorities with residents. She recommended scheduling it to coincide with White Cane Awareness Day on Oct. 15. The forum would involve reviewing the plan and bringing community members around to public spaces impacted by the proposed accessibility improvements.

“We want it to be a little more interactive,” said Reed. “We want people to walk these spaces so they can see the things we’re talking about.”

Reed pitched a version of this idea to the commission late last year.

Members raised concerns about getting an event like that together within a month. “I think October is a tight turnaround,” said member Nancy Cavanaugh.

The commission further discussed splitting Reed’s suggestion into two events to maximize reach and participation, as well as to make sure members could attend. Members agreed to hold the public forum on Oct. 28 and the facilities walkthrough — which will start at the library and end at Town Hall — on Nov. 7.

Chair Nancy “Punky” Drawe said the events would be opportunities to let the community know what the commission is working on. “We need it to be known that we are here and we’re doing things,” she said.