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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda - 12-15-2015 - 8b - Orange County Facilities Accessibility Self-Assessment Update 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 15, 2015 Action Agenda Item No. 8-b SUBJECT: Orange County Facilities Accessibility Self-Assessment Update DEPARTMENT: Asset Management Services, PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Housing, Human Rights, & Community Development ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1) Facilities Accessibility Subcommittee Brennan Bouma, 919-245-2626 Member List James Davis, 919-245-2488 UNDER SEPARATE COVER— ONLY AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALL Y A T. 2) Powerpoint Presentation - ttp.//www.c�ranecc�untync. c�v/de�aart ments/asset manaciement services (a ryas)/re�ar�rts.�ah�a PURPOSE: To receive an update and provide feedback to staff on the County's ongoing comprehensive Facility Accessibility Self-Assessment. BACKGROUND: On June 2, 2015 the Board of County Commissioners adopted a "Proclamation Supporting the Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)", and expressed an interest in engaging the disabled community to help County staff identify any facilities access issues. Asset Management Services (AMS) and the Department of Housing, Human Rights and Community Development (HHRCD) came together to organize this subcommittee of the Space Study Work Group to conduct a self-assessment of the physical accessibility of all County facilities. This advisory subcommittee includes representatives from the Orange County Human Relations Commission (HRC), the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) and the Disability Awareness Council (DAC) along with County staff and the County building inspectors. Some of the members of the committee are disabled themselves and have brought essential first-hand experience to guide the accessibility assessments. The most recent comprehensive accessibility assessment was conducted by County building inspectors in 2007, and other focused accessibility assessments have been conducted more recently for some County facilities. Now is an appropriate time to integrate these focused assessments and update our comprehensive assessment of County facilities. 2 Progress To date, assessments have been conducted for the Southern Human Services Center, the Richard L. Whitted Human Services Center and the Robert & Pearl Seymour Center. Self- assessment teams include a disabled person or disabilities advocate, a County building inspector, and a County staff person familiar with the facility being assessed. The accessibility obstacles identified in these assessments will be prioritized by the members of the subcommittee to inform final recommendations to the Board of Commissioners. Initial progress in conducting these assessments has been deliberate as Staff has thoughtfully developed the knowledge, tools, and collaborative process to conduct these assessments in an accurate and standardized manner. During the initial assessments, improvements to the procedures and tools were identified, which will help to improve and streamline future assessments. The committee plans to further accelerate the remaining assessments by engaging the Safety Committees from each facility in conducting initial assessments so that the accessibility assessment teams will only need to verify the results. Initial Findings These initial assessments have identified several areas for improvement in County facilities. Some of these will require only minor adjustments (Low-level) to improve accessibility and others will require a greater investment. Example Findings from Initial Assessments: • Reducing door-opening pressures Low-level Marking walking surface to highlight transitions (repairs ongoing) Landscape management for facility visibility and accessibility (tree pruning, hedge maintenance, etc) • Patching damaged sidewalks • Replacing faded parking signage and striping • _ Repairing minor trip hazards Mid-level Adding wayfinding signage • Adjusting heights of restroom accessories and features • Addressing slope issues along accessible routes High-level Installing additional railings The low-level and mid-level items are those that require only minor adjustments or repairs. These are continuously addressed within AMS Corrective Maintenance repair processes, the grounds maintenance provided by the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, and AMS Building Improvement projects. The high-level items would likely be best addressed within the Capital Investment Plan (CIP). As discussed in the Space Study Update to the Board during the November 10, 2015 work session, staff is preparing these results to inform the CIP discussion in March, 2016. As assessments are completed, the results will be summarized and prioritized within a framework modeled on the ADA Transition Plan. The Transition Plan lists physical obstacles that limit the accessibility of public programs or activities to individuals with disabilities, and then describes the methods that will be used to remove these obstacles, and specifies when each step will be taken and by whom. As noted in the ADA statute, all facilities do not have to meet each accessibility component, but rather all persons with disabilities must be able to participate 3 in and benefit from the services, programs, and activities provided by Orange County. Therefore, as a plan is created for the removal of obstacles, actions that improve accessibility to County programs will be prioritized over other types of facilities improvements. Timeline and Next Steps Prepare Engage County departments and disabled community, August— Prepare standard checklist, Conduct pilot assessments. October 2015 Identify & Evaluate all County facilities. Prioritize buildings that have October— Prioritize programs serve the most disabled residents. Inventory February 2015 and prioritize all accessibility issues at these facilities using established ADA standards. Propose Propose solutions for each prioritized accessibility issue December 2015 Solutions & and generate a cost estimate for planning and budgeting — February Estimate Costs purposes. 2016 Propose Review as part of Manager's Recommended CIP. March —June Implementation 2016 Plan Staff will provide a Powerpoint presentation at the meeting. A copy of the presentation can be found at: http://www.oranecountync. ov/departments/asset management services (ams)/reports.ph ._- SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following two Orange County Social Justice Goals are applicable to this agenda item: • GOAL: FOSTER A COMMUNITY CULTURE THAT REJECTS OPPRESSION AND INEQUITY The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race or color; religious or philosophical beliefs; sex, gender or sexual orientation; national origin or ethnic background; age; military service; disability; and familial, residential or economic status. • GOAL: ENABLE FULL CIVIC PARTICIPATION Ensure that Orange County residents are able to engage government through voting and volunteering by eliminating disparities in participation and barriers to participation. Efforts to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) result in positive outcomes related to the above Goals. FINANCIAL IMPACT: As stated in the ADA statute (§ 35.150 (a)(3)), a public entity is not required to "to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in...undue financial and administrative burdens." The completion of the assessments and the low-level and mid-level suggested improvements will require continued staffing, but only small expenditures. Implementing suggested improvements to the high-level items will require an investment that will be recommended in the 2016-17 CIP. § 35.150 Existing facilities: (a) General. A public entity shall operate each service, program, or activity so that the service, program, or activity, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. This paragraph does not necessarily require a public entity to make each of its existing facilities accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities;http://www.ada.=og v/regs2OlO/titleII 2010/titleII 2010 withbold.htm 4 RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the update and provide feedback to staff on the County's ongoing comprehensive Facility Accessibility Assessment. 5 Attachment 1 Orange County Space Study Working Group - Facilities Accessibility Subcommittee Name Organization Brennan Bouma Asset Management Services, Organizer James Davis Housing, Human Rights, and Community Development, Organizer Renee Price Orange County Board of Commissioners, Advisor Carla Banks Public Relations James Baxter Inspections Department Marabeth Carr Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Betsy Corbett Department of Social Services Nancy Coston Department of Social Services Melody Dees NC Courts Pam Dickens NC Department of Health and Human Services Tyran Fennell Human Resources David Hunt Clerk's Office Donna King Health Department Timothy Miles Disability Awareness Council Annette Moore Attorney's Office Gerald Ponder Human Relations Commission Jason Richmond Library Jason Shepherd Fire Marshall James Stanford NC Courts Greg Strowd Sherriffs Office Peter Sandbeck Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Janice Tyler Department on Aging Brenda Van Hook Disability Awareness Council