TOWNSHIP OF LOWER MAKEFIELD
DISABLED PERSONS ADVISORY
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2004
A meeting of the Disabled Persons Advisory Board of the Township of Lower Makefield was held in the Municipal Building on Tuesday, December 28, 2004. Chairman Rogers opened the meeting at 7:40 p.m.
Those
present:
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: John
McConville, member
Lisa Huchler-Smith, Secretary
David Rogers, Chairman
Ann Piccinotti,
Vice-Chairman
Liz Harbison, member (absent)
OTHERS: Scott
Fegley, Supervisor Liaison (absent)
Jeff Werner,
Yardley News
BEXLEY ORCHARDS TRAFFIC LIGHT
Mr. Rogers said the
Board received a request for an audible traffic light at Big Oak Road for a
blind resident at Bexley Orchards. He
stated that Mr. Fedorchak gave Mr. McConville permission to talk with Jim
Majewski, a Township Engineer to move things ahead to have the light altered
with an audible signal.
LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP BUILDING
Mr. Rogers stated that
$90,000 has been allocated in the budget for renovations to the front of the
Township Building. Mr. Rogers said he
would talk with the Township engineer about the need for additional lighting
outside the building.
DISABLED PERSONS ADVISORY BOARD EXPOSURE TO THE PUBLIC
Mr. Rogers said he talked
with Mr. Fedorchak about why the Disabled Persons Advisory Board meeting is not
on Channel 16 each month. Mr. Fedorchak
said that every group would ask to be advertised on Channel 16. Mr. Fedorchak stated if the Board has a
specific issue for Community input, then he would put and advertisement on
Channel 16.
Ms. Huchler-Smith
distributed a draft of a letter to local business owners educating them on how
to comply with ADA requirements to attract more physically challenged people to
their businesses. She said the letter
would have attachments such as the ADA guide and information about business tax
credits.
Mr. Rogers asked if the
letter and attachments should be hand delivered or mailed and asked how the
Board could access a list of businesses in Lower Makefield. Ms. Piccinotti asked if the
Disabled Persons Advisory Board –
December 28, 2004
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Board would distribute
the letter and attachments to businesses in Yardley Borough. Ms. Huchler-Smith said the Board would need
approval from the Borough Council to do so.
Mr. Rogers said the Board could breakdown distribution of the letter and
attachments to businesses in steps.
Mr. Rogers asked the
Board if the Township’s legal council should review the letter and the Board
agreed yes. The Board agreed the letter
should be sent to Mr. Fedorchak to review then he would send the same to
attorney Garton.
Ms. Huchler-Smith said
she would contact Mr. Fedorchak to get answers to some of the questions
discussed tonight and send the letter she drafted to Mr. Fedorchak to
review. Mr. Rogers said he would talk
with Mr. Fegley to determine if the Board has a budget to pay for postage to
mail the letters to businesses.
Ms. Piccinotti suggested
using the newspaper as a vehicle to get the Board’s message out to the public
about ADA requirements such as the case of the article in the Courier Times she
read this week. She suggested the Board contact the young man who was featured
in the Courier Times this week or the person who wrote the article.
APPROVAL OF PLANS
Mr. Rogers said that he
spoke with Mr. Fedorchak who educated him about how the Township handles plan
review. Mr. Fedorchak stated most work
such as plan review is contracted out to Russ McLaughlin and BIU and compliance
with ADA requirements lies with them.
Mr. Rogers gave an
update about the McCaffrey’s plans. He
noted McCaffrey’s responded to the Board’s request fro some alterations and
McCaffrey’s responded by saying they would do everything the Board requested,
noting they were oversights. Some of the
corrections are curb cuts at the proper pitch, audible and visual fire alarms
and hardware for doors.
Mr. Rogers said he told
Mr. Fedorchak his frustration with the inability of the Board to review plans
especially interior renovations. Mr.
Fedorchak instructed Mr. Rogers to provide him with the process the Board wants
to happen for review of plans and he will make it happen. Mr. Rogers said he drafted a letter to Mr.
Fedorchak setting forth the Board’s objectives and requested that the Board be
advised of all building permits for public access buildings, both new and
modifications of existing and the Board would like to see site plans for new
commercial developments and multi-family buildings that are three stories high.
Ms. Huchler-Smith noted
that the Board might be overloaded with plans that do not relate to the Board’s
mission. She suggested talking with Ms.
Frick about her department’s plan review process.
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December 28, 2004
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The Board discussed Mr.
Rogers letter to Mr. Fedorchak regarding plan review and made revisions. Mr. Rogers said he would redraft the letter,
send the letters to the Board for final review and would talk with Ms. Frick
about the planning process.
Ms. Huchler-Smith
suggested inviting one of the Township engineers to a Board meeting to educate
the Board.
Ms.
Huchler-Smith moved, Ms. Piccinotti seconded and it was unanimously carried to
approve the November 2004 meeting minutes as written.
The Committee
scheduled the next meeting for Tuesday, January 25th at 7:30 p.m.
The meeting was
adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Lisa
Huchler-Smith, Secretary