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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-11-14Nantucket Commission on Disability Minutes G Open Session �� f 10 1 Monday November 14, 2016 s' Country Kitchen Room at Sherburne Commons 0 Present: Mickey Rowland, Penny Snow, John Malloy, Georgia Snell, Maribeth Maloney, Jeanette Topham, and Brenda McDonough Absent: Karenlynn Williams G:ucsts: Matt MacEachern, Architect with Emeritus Development WPI Students: Gillian Colman, Danielle Cote, Nathan Hague, and Jared Perkins Allison Forsgren, Nantucket Resident Call to Order: 3:35 p.m. ,kacnda: Mr. Rowland stated, by unanimous consent we are adopting the agenda. Note: Ms. Topham and Ms. Maloney were absent for October 3, 2016, so they were not eligible to approve October's minutes. Minutes: 4:30 p.m. (The minutes were approved at the end of our open meeting.) Ms. Snow motioned to approve October 2016 minutes, which Ms. Snell seconded and all the present, eligible Commission members unanimously approved this motion. Open Session: 3:35 p.m. New Business: Topics: Variance Request for 21 Old South Road: WPI Slide Presentation on Accessible Features of our Outdoor Spaces: Lighting, Parking Spaces, and Crosswalk Committees: Meeting Dates VARIANCE REQUEST: Matt MacEachern from Emeritus Development presented a second variance request for vertical access to all three levels of the building that is being constructed at 21 Old South Road. The first variance request was to install a Limited - Use /Limited - Access (LU /LA) elevator in lieu of a standard elevator to the three levels of this building, which was granted by the AAB. This new variance request is to install a vertical lift from the first level to the second level where there will be four apartments, and an independent freight elevator from the commercial kitchen on the first level to the basement. After some discussion, Ms. Topham motioned to support this variance request, which Ms. Snell seconded and all the present Commissioners voted unanimously to support this motion. WPI SLIDE PRESENTATION: Four students from Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Gillian Colman, Danielle Cote, Nathan Hague, and Jared Perkins spent six weeks on Nantucket visiting Nantucket's outdoor spaces and chronicling any accessible features that exist and making suggestions how to make certain locations more accessible to residents and visitors with sight, hearing, cognitive, and ambulatory concerns. They created a slide show, which explained their methodology for this project and chronicled their visits and recommendations for better access at each location. They created a map of all the outdoor sites that they visited and included an additional link that will give more detailed information on each site. The following is a link to this map that the students created: http://nantucket- ma.gov/ 813 /Accessible - Outdoor - Locations Please visit this web page to get all the detailed information that the students compiled. This map with the link to more detailed information can presently be accessed on the Town's web site, and eventually on the Visitor's Services web site and the Chamber of Commerce web site. • The students talked about Mass Audubon's accessible properties and that they used Mass Audubon accessible features as their guidelines for recommending accessible features to Nantucket's outdoor spaces. • The students also talked about the survey they conducted through the Inquirer's Letters to the Editor. Here is the link to that expired survey: https: / /goo.gl /forms /ykMk7lXZVhuP7etP2 • The students mentioned the Young's Bicycles donated all the bikes that the 24 WPI students and 2 advisors used for transportation while here on Nantucket. They also mentioned that Maria Mitchell provided housing for the students and that some of the students' home base was the Greenhound Building. Ms. Snow called these three sponsors Island Angels. • Ms. Forsgren, a Nantucket resident and Friend of Our Island Home (0114), spoke about playgrounds for seniors. These playgrounds are popular in Europe and she believes that our senior citizens could benefit from incorporating a multigenerational playground here on Nantucket. Ms. Forsgren thought that Our Island home would be a great location so a multigenerational playground. 4:30 p.m. The four WPI students left our meeting. Ms. Snow motioned to approve October 2016 minutes, which Ms. Snell seconded, and all the present, eligible Commission members unanimously approved this motion. LIGHTING PARKING SPACES, and CROSSWALK COMMITTEES: Ms. McDonough described the idea about each committee. • The lighting committee would monitor all the street lights around Nantucket and identify which ones are operating properly and locations where lighting is needed. • The parking space committee would monitor town accessible spaces and public accessible spaces for proper signage, striping, accessible surface, and access aisle and insure nothing is blocking access to the accessible space and aisle. • The crosswalk committee would monitor the crosswalks all around Nantucket for proper curb cuts, surface, striping and where new crosswalks are needed. (Libby Gibson informed our Commission that any subcommittee regardless if it is less than a quorum of members, must post their meeting and prepare minutes of that meeting. Our Commission x•ill not form any subcommittees. We will discuss this topic further at our next meetin . • Mr. Rowland cannot always make our meeting on the second Monday of the month. He wondered if we could be flexible with our meetings between the first and second Monday of the month. All Commissioners present said that will not be a problem. Update: Old Business: Other Business: 23 Prospect Street and CPC, Signage for Madaket Road/Barrett Farm Road: • Ms. Topham mentioned that the hedges at 23 Prospect Street are actually on the walking path. Ms. McDonough will look at this location and inform the DPW if necessary. • Ms. McDonough contacted the CPC office to see if they would consider funding any of the historic cobblestone street repairs. Ms. Snell talked about the process of applying for and receiving CPC funds. Ms. McDonough will contact Libby Gibson and find out if this is something that the town is interested in pursuing. • Ms. Snow was advocating for some signage on the south side of Madaket Road approaching Barrett Farm Road warning drivers that vehicles are entering and exiting Barrett Farm Road. Ms. Snow mentioned that when you are traveling west on Madaket Road and want to take a left onto Barrett Farm Road, it is very dangerous because you cannot see the oncoming traffic heading east. Madaket Road is curved in that area so that you do not have a direct line -of- sight of the traffic heading east. Ms. Snow would like to submit this request to Traffic Safety. *Topics Not Anticipated 48 Hours in Advance of Meeting: Adjournment: 4:55 p.m. Ms. Snell motioned to adjourn Open Session, and enter into Executive Session: G-L, c.30A, Sec. 21(a) Number 1. to review Disable Parking Permit Applications which reveal confidential information regarding the applicant's disability and health concerns, and not return to Open Session, which Ms. Topham seconded, and Mr. Rowland, Ms. Snow, Mr. Malloy, Ms. Snell, Ms. Mahoney and Ms. Topham voted in favor of this motion. Submitted by: Brenda McDonough, Facilitator