The community is invited to help Pierce County prioritize projects that will bring pedestrian facilities – such as sidewalks and ramps – located in public right-of-way in unincorporated Pierce County into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The county will host four public meetings in November to gather feedback on which types of issues pose the biggest impact to accessibility, such as obstructions in the sidewalk or steep ramps, and which locations are most important for the public to be able to reach without barriers to accessibility, such as schools, libraries, and shopping centers.
“This is an opportunity for our community to share their input on bringing existing pedestrian facilities into ADA compliance,” said Brian Stacy, P.E., Pierce County Public Works and Utilities county engineer. “We will then develop a transition plan that will help us prioritize future projects to bring the facilities into compliance.”
In addition to community input, Pierce County will use ADA guidelines and standards to identify project locations with the highest need. The plan will guide the county when scheduling projects and requesting and allocating funding to complete the project list. Ultimately, all existing pedestrian facilities must be brought into compliance with ADA standards. The plan will not address expanding existing pedestrian facilities or building facilities in new areas.
Public meetings planned
The county will host four public meetings in November. Public Works and Utilities staff will share information on its process for identifying facilities that are out of ADA compliance, show the results of the inventory, and ask attendees to take a brief survey about their priorities.
Thursday, Nov. 6, 5:30-7 p.m.: Bonney Lake Justice and Municipal Center, 9002 Main St. E in Bonney Lake
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 5:30-7 p.m.: Sprinker Recreation Center, 14824 C St. S in Tacoma
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 5:30-7 p.m.: Pierce County Central Maintenance Facility, 4812 196th St. E in Spanaway
Thursday, Nov. 20, 5:30-7 p.m.: Pierce College Puyallup, College Center Building, Multipurpose Room A, 1601 39th Ave. SE in Puyallup
Individuals attending the meetings should call Project Manager Dan Hansen at (253) 798-2288 to discuss any special accommodations.
Meeting materials and the survey will also be available online at www.piercecountywa.org/ADAtransition for those that cannot attend a meeting.
