ARCHITECTURAL ACCESSIBILITY BOARD
Thursday, August 14, 2014
1:30 P.M.
State Fire Service Center
2307 MacArthur Road
New Castle, DE 19720
Telephone: (302) 323-5365
MINUTES
I. CALL TO ORDER
The August 14, 2014, meeting of the State of Delaware’s Architectural Accessibility Board was called to order by the acting chairman, Armando Liberti. In addition to Mr.Liberti, the record will show that the following board members participated in the meeting, either by telephone (T) or by their actual presence (P): Nash Childs (P); Jennifer Ridgley (P); Martin Markiewitz (P); Eric Potts (P); Scott Ward (P); Chang Yoon (P).
Also in attendance: Dan Muterspaw, Chief Administrator
II. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
The minutes from the Board’s July 10, 2014 meeting were amended to delete case #14081 from Section IV. This case was incorrectly entered as having no accessibility issues. A motion was then made, and seconded, to approve the July 10, 2014 minutes, as amended.
III. DISCUSSION OF AGENDA
The Chief Administrator added seven (7) cases to the agenda, as follows:
- 14045 - RE Sussex Consortium Offices
- 14061 - RE Eastlawn Playground
- 14070 - RE 900 King St.
- 14101 NCC - Court of Chancery
- 14103 Leg. Hall Kiosk
- 14104 DelDOT Bus Pad
- 14105 Stern Amory Museum
IV. CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR’S UPDATE
The Chief Administrator reported to the Board on his activities for the preceding month. These activities were routine in nature and consisted of normal field inspections, preliminary plan reviews, complaint issues and miscellaneous accessibility inquiries. In addition, the following projects (all having no accessibility issues and/or impact) were approved by the Administrator, and were presented to the Board for their endorsement/acceptance of these approvals:
1. 14051 Sussex Cor. Insti. - Water Heater
2. 14091 DEANG – Telecommunications System
3. 14092 Old Sussex C.H. – Crawl Space
4. 14100 DEANG – River Rd. Security Cameras
5. 14102 St. Police HDQ. – Generator Replacement
V. SUBMISSIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT
At their July 31, 2014, meeting, the Submissions Review Committee reviewed eight (8) cases. These cases were forwarded to the full Board for their review. The Board’s comments and actions on these cases, and for the additional seven (7) cases submitted by the Chief administrator, are attached as a part of these minutes.
VI. OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business to discuss.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business to discuss.
VIII. SCHEDULE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Architectural Accessibility Board will be held on Thursday, September 11, 2014, at 1:30 PM. The location will be the State Fire Service Center in New Castle.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
With nothing further to review or discuss, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Dan A. Muterspaw
Chief Administrator, AAB
DAM/slb
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14045-REOWNER / Cape Henlopen School District
PROJECT / Sussex Consortium Office
Renovations
DESIGNED BY / French + Ryan
CONTACT PERSON / Ben Parks
PREVIOUS ACTION / Not approved – April and July, 2014
COMMENTS / The missing detail and information for this project was received. The design for the repairs to the ramp along the accessible route appeared to be complaint with the standards. A new concrete deck surface and new handrails, along with the removal of the window mounted air conditioner, will satisfy the ADA’s path of travel requirements. The design of the other alterations in the front office area had previously been approved.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14061-RE
OWNER / City of Wilmington
PROJECT / Eastlawn Playground – Wilmington Parks/Rec.
Renovations
DESIGNED BY / H.M.R. Associates, LLC
CONTACT PERSON / Harvey Rubenstein
Stanly Kozicki
PREVIOUS ACTION / Not approved – June 2014
COMMENTS / The proposed project for renovating this existing playground in the City of Wilmington was vetoed on its first review. The alterations to the play area were designed to be accessible, but the accessible route to this area (from the public way) was not compliant. The route was too steep. A corrected design of this route was submitted showing where the accessible route will be re-graded to be less than 5%, which is acceptable as an accessible route.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14071 - RE
OWNER / OMB
PROJECT / 900 King St. (Wilmington)
Elevator and Toilet Room Renovations
DESIGNED BY / RG Architects
CONTACT PERSON / Jerry Rozanski
PREVIOUS ACTION / Not approved – June 2014
COMMENTS / Detail for the new controls in the elevator was not provided for the AAB’s initial review. This information has been received and the control panel being installed is acceptable and will be mounted at the appropriated height in the elevator’s cab.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14081 - RE
OWNER / Delaware Technical & Community College
PROJECT / E Wing Laboratories & Classrooms
DESIGNED BY / BSA + A
CONTACT PERSON / Bryan Hutchinson
Renee Richardson
PREVIOUS ACTION / Not Approved – July 2014
COMMENTS / The initial submission for this project was not approved because of confusion with the area of the school undergoing future renovations, and because specific, required upgrades along the path of travel weren’t included in the design drawings. The only remaining issues regarding this project (all other confusion having been cleared up by the architect, and the contractor on the site) are the upgrades required in two toilet rooms serving laboratories 203 and 204, as mandated by the ADA’s “Path of Travel” provision. As of this date, the design for the upgrades to these toilet rooms has not been received or reviewed.
BOARD ACTION / Disapproved
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SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14090-REOWNER / Cape Henlopen School District
PROJECT / H.O. Brittingham Elementary School
Temporary Classroom Construction
DESIGNED BY / French + Ryan
CONTACT PERSON / Ben Parks
PREVIOUS ACTION / Not approved – July 2014
COMMENTS / This project for constructing a temporary, two classroom building was not approved due to lack of sufficient detail regarding the building and its elements and spaces. A complete set of plans and drawings has now been received and the required detail shows where the design of the building, with accessible toilet rooms, appears to be acceptable. There was one questionable issue with the entrance door to one of the classrooms. The designed maneuvering space was not sufficient.
BOARD ACTION / Disapproved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14094
OWNER / DNREC/Parks & Recreation
PROJECT / Assawoman Canal Trail
New Construction – Phase I
DESIGNED BY / Becker Morgan Group
CONTACT PERSON / Jon S. Falkowski
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / A walking trail will be constructed along the existing Assawoman Canal, located several miles northwest of Bethany Beach. The trail will extend from Rt. 26 to Rt. 357. The trail will have some benches installed along the route. There will be general parking and two toilet rooms near the parking lot. The trail is relatively flat and all of the other elements within this design appeared to be compliant.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14095
OWNER / Department of Safety and Homeland Security
PROJECT / Delaware State Police Firing Range
Pavement Improvements
DESIGNED BY / Duffield Associates
CONTACT PERSON / James Cloonan
John Dunham
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / In conjunction with some drainage repairs, the existing parking facility will undergo pavement improvements. Accessible parking and an accessible route into this training facility (firing range) have been included within this project’s design and appeared to be acceptable.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14096
OWNER / DNREC/Parks and Recreation
PROJECT / Woodland Beach Pier
Parking Lot Improvements
DESIGNED BY / Century Engineering
CONTACT PERSON / Bret A. Martine
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / The existing parking lot at this site will be repaired and repaved with new asphalt. The current parking space striping will be re-striped with one van accessible space and two regular spaces. All work appeared to be acceptable.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14097
OWNER / DNREC/Parks & Recreation
PROJECT / Horsey Pond
Parking Lot Improvements
DESIGNED BY / Century Engineering
CONTACT PERSON / Bret A. Martine
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / The existing parking lot will be repaired and repaved with new asphalt. The current lot is not striped and the boat ramp is not accessible. There are no plans for striping the lot once the new asphalt has been installed. General parking spaces may not be required, but the accessible parking spaces must be designated within this parking facility.
BOARD ACTION / Disapproved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14098
OWNER / DNREC/ Parks & Recreation
PROJECT / Blairs Pond
Parking Lot Improvements
DESIGNED BY / Century Engineering
CONTACT PERSON / Bret A. Martine
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / This existing parking lot will be repaired and repaved with new asphalt. The current lot is not striped and the boat ramp is not accessible. There are no plans for striping the lot once the new asphalt has been installed. General parking spaces may not be required, but the accessible spaces must be designated within this parking facility.
BOARD ACTION / Disapproved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14099
OWNER / DNREC/ Parks & Recreation
PROJECT / Seaford Boat Ramp
Site Lighting Installation
DESIGNED BY / Century Engineering
CONTACT PERSON / Bret A. Martine
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / This existing boat ramp will have new site lighting installed. This work will not impact the accessibility at this facility, nor will it trigger any upgrades that may be required.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14101
OWNER / OMB
PROJECT / NCC – Court of Chancery
Alterations
DESIGNED BY / R G Architects
CONTACT PERSON / Jerry Rozanski
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / Existing office walls will be removed and several new conference rooms will be constructed in these areas. In addition, other spaces that will be created will include a kitchenette, a new reception area, a file room and an interview room. Several design flaws were noted, which include the following:
1. Upgrades to the toilet rooms and water fountain serving the primary function area were not included in the design, as required by the ADA.
2. The sink in the kitchenette does not have sufficient maneuvering space.
BOARD ACTION / Disapproved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14103
OWNER / OMB
PROJECT / Legislative Hall
Kiosk
DESIGNED BY / Purchase of Equipment
CONTACT PERSON / Janet Roberson
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / A digital signage kiosk will be displayed in Legislative Hall, in an area where visitors can access it. This kiosk is merely a digital screen that will display the State’s web site and visitors can use it to access information regarding the legislature and the legislative process. The model being purchased is ADA compliant and mounting will need to be mounted within the prescribed reach range for accessibility.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14104
OWNER / DelDOT
PROJECT / Bus Stop/Bus Pad
New Construction
DESIGNED BY / In-house Design
CONTACT PERSON / John Kotula
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / A DART bus stop/pad is being proposed along Little Creek Road, in the vicinity of the new Dover High School. No shelter will be constructed. The existing 8 foot wide sidewalk will be extended towards the curb. An existing signalized crosswalk will have detectable warnings installed on the current curb ramp.
BOARD ACTION / Approved
SUBMISSION NUMBER / 14105
OWNER / Delaware Air National Guard
PROJECT / Stern Armory Museum
Renovations
DESIGNED BY / W.C. Gomez, Associates, Inc.
CONTACT PERSON / Wilfredo C. Gomez
Larry Schrock
PREVIOUS ACTION / None
COMMENTS / Upgrades and numerous interior renovations are proposed for this existing National Guard Armory. The design flaws observed were numerous and accessible elements and spaces were limited. The plans and drawings were insufficient in the detail provided on the “final” documents that were reviewed. The below list of design errors includes, but may not be limited to, the following:
1. No site plan was submitted that detailed the parking lot and route to the building. Accessibility could not be determined.
2. The drawings show where new exterior ramps (at least three) will be constructed. The detail for these elements was only provided for one of these ramps. In this detail, the handrails did not extend to the bottom of the ramp run, nor was there any detail on the adjacent set of steps.
3. Two latrines showed where accessible toilet stalls were being provided. These spaces were not compliant.
4. Two existing toilet rooms are currently non compliant. It appeared that no upgrades to these elements or spaces were proposed.
5. New wheelchair lifts are being proposed in areas where the approaches to the egress doors at the top of each lift were not accessible.
6. A new door being installed in one hallway does not have the required maneuvering space on its pull side. This doorway is also at the top of a set of steps.
BOARD ACTION / Disapproved