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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-07-2012_Minutes MDACMilton Disability Awareness Committee Meeting Minutes March 7, 2012 Committee Members In Attendance: Ken Woods, Van Black, Sharon Lockwood, Renee Catanzaro, Tass Welch, and Gary Arnold. MDAC Liaison: Sudie Gordon Guests: Robyn MacDonald and Wade Greene Renee Catanzaro called the meeting to order. Ken Woods was late getting to the meeting. Updates/Old Business: Moved by vote to the end of the meeting. New Business: Wade Greene, Building Official for the City of Milton: He reviews all plans for the city to make sure they are in compliance with code. All commercial buildings need to have accessibility for all people as outlined by the ADA requirements. Once a plan has been approved; one copy remains with the city, the other copy stays at the job site. When the inspector goes to a job site, he reviews the plans to make sure they are in compliance with the job that is being built. Renee Catanzaro: Are we still going to have a checklist for accessibility issues? Wade Greene: I do not do a checklist for accessibility at the time of plan review because it is too encompassing. I use the building code book which includes all the information I need to determine if a building is in compliance. Our inspectors are all certified through ICC (International Code Conference) and they do a rough checklist at the time of inspection. Gary Arnold: Is there a chapter in your guides specifically on accessibility? Page 1 of 3 Wade Greene: Yes, there is a chapter in the building code book that lists all the things that have to be accessible. On July 1, 2012 the Georgia Amendment and Accessibility Code will be eliminated and at that point, Georgia will adopt the Federal Code. This pertains to all commercial buildings. There are no mandated codes for residential structures. I have limited power to enforce these codes. One determination of sidewalk height is water flow. The height of the sidewalk or curb has to be high enough to prevent water from flowing over it. Renee Catanzaro: We just wanted to make sure that the City of Milton is being proactive in making sure that it is as accessible as it can be. Robyn MacDonald: see everything that comes in before Wade sees it. When someone comes in for rezoning, I do a preliminary agenda which are the upcoming items that will be on the zoning agenda. Going forward, I will send this information to Sudie and she can forward it to you for review. Ken Woods: Is there any way we can get builders and developers to really listen to our needs and build structures to accommodate people with disabilities? Could we provide some type of incentive? Wade Greene: We do have some builders and developers that are in touch with the needs of people with disabilities; however, each situation is different. Renee Catanzaro: We were wondering if you could provide an informational program for merchants and builders to make them more aware of the needs of people with disabilities. Sharon Lockwood: We were thinking about inviting a local real estate agent that sells to disabled people to speak at one of our MDAC community events. Wade Greene: I will be glad to help any way I can. Page 2 of 3 Wade Greene and Robyn MacDonald left the meeting. Motion and Vote: Renee Catanzaro made a motion to elect Tass Welch to fill the board position vacated by Anne. Van Black seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Gary Arnold made a motion to reinstate Renee Catanzaro as a board member for a two year term. Sharon Lockwood seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Renee Catanzaro made a motion to reinstate Gary Arnold as a board member for a two year term. Sharon Lockwood seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. ADA Legislative Updates: HB 831 is the bill that would transfer the job training functions of the Dept. of Rehabilitation Services and the Georgia Industries for the Blind from the Dept. of Labor to the Dept. of Human Services on the state level. It is a $20 million budget. There has been some controversy regarding this bill because the Dept. of Labor is responsible for job training and the Dept. of Human Services is more of a welfare type of program. Sudie Gordon announced that Tass, Gary, and Renee need to be sworn in by the Mayor at 5:55 p.m. before the March 19th City Council Meeting. Van Black made a motion to approve the February Meeting Minutes. Sharon Lockwood seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Sudie passed out flyers for the Community Link program, Autism Speaks. Sudie agreed to check with Jason Wright to make sure he has everything he needs to advertise the program. Van Black moved to adjourn the meeting and Gary Arnold seconded the motion. Minutes Submitted By: Sudie Gordon Minutes Approved By: ellt�� OW004 Kennard Woods, Chair Date Approved: /V a ✓ 0 y/ i Page 3 of 3