MEMBER OF DIVERSITY/INCLUSION COMMITTEE LEADING THE CAUSE
Parkville’s Diversity and Inclusion Commission is tackling the issue of a lack of handicap accessibility throughout the city, and one commission member is leading the cause.
Brent Uhrmacher, who relies on handicap accessibility in Parkville, told fellow commissioners at a meeting last week that the city continues to lack handicap-accessible features, including designated parking spaces.
The few parking spaces that used to be available have ceased to exist, Uhrmacher told the group.
Tom Hutsler, chairman of the Community Improvement District (CID) in downtown Parkville, echoed Uhrmacher’s concerns and said that Uhrmacher had attended a recent CID meeting to complain about the issue. Hutsler said he’s been an active Parkville citizen and business owner for many years and “I’ve seen a lot of handicap parking spaces come and go.”
Hutsler said the city spent about $19,000 removing some handicap-parking spaces at English Landing Park because the city’s police department lacked adequate personnel to enforce city ordinances outlawing illegal parking there.
“What a waste of money,” he said.
City Administrator Alexa Barton said “that’s not exactly correct” but did not elaborate during the meeting.
She later explained in an email that, last year, the park was re-striped “to ensure appropriate ADA parking accommodations.” Those guidelines specify that handicap parking in lots or garages must provide “the shortest accessible route to the accessible entrance,” she wrote. Barton said the “decision to close the area near the shelter houses and children’s playground to car traffic was made solely for consideration for safety” and added that “the high volume of car traffic in that area was identified as a significant safety concern.”
Hutsler told the commission, “Your concern is our concern” and added there are spots where temporary handicap parking spaces could easily be added in the American Legion alleyway.
“All businesses need some form of handicap accessibility,” Hutsler said and added that there’s a lack of handicap spots near city park shelter houses, as well.
Barton clarified in her email that, historically, Uhrmacher has focused on areas north of the city’s railroad tracks, which “presents limitations and challenges for parking due to the natural terrain of Parkville and the ADA requirements that necessitate nearly flat surfaces for accessibility.”
During the meeting, Mayor Dean Katerndahl addressed the commission and told Uhrmacher he should attend an upcoming board of aldermen meeting and express his concerns in order to try to find solutions. Uhrmacher said he could do that, then went on to outline several examples of lack of handicap accessibility.
“I won’t try to stay on the minutiae, but I could go through a list of things that are ADA related,” he said and proceeded to discuss Power Point photos of examples of handicap inaccessibility.
Commissioner Kate Walz said she was “pretty discouraged by the entire thing, to be perfectly honest.” She added that the lengthy discussion about handicap parking when it “already was handled” and made “ADA compliant, then what difference does any of this make?”
