Westport News

December 4, 2009 Approved Regular Meeting Minutes
 

Call to Order
A quorum being present, the Vice-Chairperson called the meeting to order at 10:10 am in the Town Hall Selectmen’s Office.  Members present: Elaine Ostroff, Stanley Cornwall, Richard Squire, and Selena Howard. Members absent: Michael Ouimet.

Ms. Ostroff reported that Mr. Carroll expressed interest in having a joint meeting with the Commission. Everyone agreed with Ms. Ostroff’s suggestion that the Commission should hold off meeting with the Beach Committee until such time as the Commission can research handicapped parking regulations.

Brochure Update
The Vice-Chair welcomed Lisa Cusick who has volunteered to design the Commission’s informational brochure. Ms. Cusick distributed a color draft of the brochure and asked for suggestions and comments. Members discussed options for the placement of the various elements on the cover. There was also discussion concerning the activities section and it was agreed not to list specific fundraising activities. The brochure photos were discussed and it was agreed to replace the clip art photo with a photograph of the two young girls that was used in the movie shown at the Spring 2009 Town Meeting, improve the gender balance in the photographs. It was also agreed to print the brochure on non-glossy heavy stock. Members agreed that Ms. Cusick has done an outstanding job and were very pleased with the draft.

Minutes  
It was moved by Richard Squire and seconded by Stanley Cornwall to approve the minutes of the 11-20-09 meeting amended as follows: Community Input-change Mrs. to Ms. and change the word “…will…” in line 8 of to “..are able to…”. The vote was unanimous.

Community Input
There was discussion concerning Selena Howard’s suggestion that all Town building stairwells should have a yellow or white stripe, either taped or painted, on the front edge of the top and bottom stair treads. She stated that the edging makes it possible to negotiate the stairs much more safely. Richard Squire asked if this safety feature was included in ADA regulations as a requirement. The consensus was that even if it is not a requirement, it certainly would be an excellent suggestion for increasing safety for everyone. In discussing next steps, it was agreed that contact should be made with the Town’s ADA coordinator and/or the Town Administrator. There was also a suggestion that work on this type of project could possibly be done by Diman students or by Westport High School Honor Society students.

Placard Discussion
Elaine Ostroff reminded members that the Commission had previously spoken with the Police Chief on the subject of placards and legal handicapped parking and that he had advised them that the only problem was that teachers at the Westport Elementary School utilize the designated handicapped parking places as a matter of convenience to avoid having to wait for school buses to exit at dismissal time.

Elaine Ostroff then read a letter addressed to the Commission from Wendy Goldberg. In her letter, Ms. Goldberg expressed her concerns about a recent incident at a local business where placards may have been misused. Commissioners agreed that while the public should be attentive to possible placard misuse, it also has to be called to the public’s attention that some qualifying disabilities may not be outwardly obvious or apparent. Elaine Ostroff pointed out that the Commission’s role is not enforcement but rather education. To that end, it was agreed that the proposed brochure tag line that states that some disabling conditions are apparent while others are not should be emphasized by using a larger font or higher contrast background color.

Fundraising Issues and Opportunities
There was a brief discussion concerning the advisability of getting further clarification on municipal accounting practices for budgeted and revolving fund accounts in preparation for processing funds generated from fundraising activities and/or donations. No action was taken.

Report on Meeting with Dr. Colley, Westport Community Schools
Elaine Ostroff and Stanley Cornwall reported on their November 30, 2009 meeting with Superintendent Colley and stated that Dr. Colley expressed interest in what the Commission is doing, is not unfamiliar with the subject, and hopes that the Commission will bring things to him as needed. He suggested that the National Honor Society students could possibly be helpful to the Commission in some ways and he would be willing to discuss that further as a project for next year. Ms. Ostroff and Mr. Cornwall raised the issues of abuse of handicapped parking at the Elementary School and inadequate signage at the Middle school. They reported that Dr. Colley said he would look into the accessible entrance signage and suggested some options such as a buzzer at that entrance at the Middle School. He preferred to speak to the teachers at the Elementary School about the proper use of handicapped parking places rather than institute any sort of monitoring system. There was also discussion regarding providing teacher aides in after school programs to support the inclusion of students with disabilities, as reported by parents at the 11-6-09 Commission meeting. Dr. Colley stated that the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) determines the additional assistance provided to students in school day activities and that programs beyond the school day run by other organizations present a challenge. He also highlighted the limited budget conditions that limit anything that is not in an IEP. There was some discussion of using volunteers but nothing was finalized.

New Business     The Chair reported on the status of the state funding to the Town that will include an update of the ADA Transition Plan that was done in 1994. The ADA Coordinator said that it would be late winter before they hire a grant manager, and then the ADA Transition Plan update will be discussed. The Transition Plan involves surveying of municipal facilities and services, for their accessibility. A consultant will be hired, and we were told that the Commission would be involved in that process. There may be an opportunity to assist in the surveying, and arrangements could be made for training. High school students could also be involved in surveying; all this needs to be discussed further.
The overall grant is from Community Development Block Grant funds that the state manages, for smaller towns; it will provide for the rehabilitation of about 15-20 homes for people who are income eligible.

Adjournment: Having no further business to discuss, it was moved by Selena Howard and seconded by Richard Squire to adjourn the meeting at 11:40 am. The vote was unanimous.