Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutGRAAC-2008-01-24Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee ( GRAAC) Thursday January 24, 2008 Kitchener City Hall, Conestoga Room PRESENT: Sharon Ward - Zeller (Co-Chair),, Taposhi Batabyal (Co- Chair), Brad Ullner, Saul Herzog, Myron Steinman, Ken Parker, James Hunsberger, Gordon Cummer, Jennifer Tovell (Interpreter), Rosa Bustamante, Leigh Golden, Darryl Denny, Councillor Karen Scian, Councillor Kelly Galloway, Val Hummel, Ana Popa, Kelly Steiss, Linda Pretty (Recorder) PRESENT (OTHERS): Anthony Cashin (Observer) REGRETS (MEMBERS): Gail Brunsdon, Sharon Giles, Linda Cole REGRETS (OTHERS): ABSENT WITHOUT REGRETS: Councillor Jane Mitchell 1.0 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Taposhi welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the 2008 committee and asked for introductions to be made. Taposhi noted that GRAAC meetings are open to the public, but non - members cannot participate. If a member of the public wishes to attend, the Co- chairs have to be notified two weeks prior should any accommodation be req u i red. 2.0 APPROVAL OF DECEMBER MINUTES AND REVIEW OF JANUARY AGENDA • A motion was made by Sharon Ward - Zeller, seconded by Brad, that the minutes of the December meeting be approved. All were in favour; the motion was carried. • A motion was made by Gordon Cummer, seconded by Sharon Ward - Zeller, that the agenda of the January meeting be approved. All were in favour; the motion was carried. 3.0 CO -CHAIR REPORT — Sharon Ward - Zeller 3.1 Member Update Members were given an updated list of GRAAC members and were asked to review it for accuracy. If there are changes, please send to Linda Pretty, copying Sharon Ward - Zeller and Taposhi Batabyal. Sharon also gave members an update on Sharon Giles, who is ill and temporarily unable to attend meetings. 3.2 Request for Working Group As it is the time of year to approve the GRAAC budget, Sharon asked for volunteers for an ad hoc group to help Taposhi and Sharon draft a budget that will be presented at the February GRAAC meeting for approval. January 2008 - GRAAC Minutes 1 Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) Thursday January 24, 2008 ACTION: Rosa, Amy and James volunteered to assist in developing the 2008 GRAAC budget. Sharon and Ta posh i will contact them to arrange a meeting date. 3.3 Sub - Committee Selection by New Members GRAAC welcomed five new members to the group for 2008. There is room now to accept two new non -GRAAC members for the Built Environment Sub - Committee (G- BESC) and one non -GRAAC member for the Transportation Sub - Committee — because of the Terms of Reference requiring ratios, more spaces may become available as additional GRAAC members join these committees. A motion was made by Sharon Ward - Zeller, seconded by Saul Herzog to accept Paula Saunders & Brian MacOwan as members of G -BESC and John Brown for Transportation. All were in favour; the motion was carried. Paula, Brian and John are confirmed as members. The quota of non -GRAAC sub - committee members depends on how many GRAAC members are on the committee. Amy asked that, whenever possible, for information to be sent out for members to review prior to the meeting. 3.4 Herrington Group Audit Update The Herrington Group was contracted in late 2006 by municipalities to audit municipal buildings and identify accessibility requirements. Specific results of the audits, which were completed in 2007 and involved approximately 120 buildings, have not yet been shared with GRAAC members as the volume of paper was massive and staffs are still in the process of reviewing the information. Members who want to see the list of buildings audited are asked to contact Sharon Ward - Zeller. Staff will be invited to future GRAAC meetings to share the results of the audit and seek feedback. 3.5 Meeting Dates 2008 Sharon pointed out that a list of 2008 meeting dates was e- mailed to members and that hard copies are available should one be required. 3.6 Seating Plan at Meetings A new seating plan for GRAAC meetings was devised, based on the needs of members — i.e., more space for those who need it, for the physical convenience of others, etc. January 2008 - GRAAC Minutes 2 Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) Thursday January 24, 2008 4.0 OTHER BUSINESS 4.1 Snowclearing Update — Taposhi Staff, Scott Berry, Gloria McNeil and Shayne Turner, from the City of Kitchener and Mark Dykstra, Phil Hewitson, Mary George from the City of Waterloo attended to update members on snow clearing. The main points that came out of the discussion were as follows: City of Waterloo • The city plows separate school board property under contract and regional bus stops with GRT. • Property owners have 24 hours to clear after the snow has stopped. • Due to discussion with GRAAC, staff is working to respond to un- cleared sidewalks promptly. 600 courtesy notices have been given for properties the City had to clear last year. 62 letters were sent this year to property owners out of which only 3 have had to be cleared so far by the City. • The city is increasing its marketing to the community with a spot on Rogers, ads in local papers, on the web page and news releases. As well, business owners in uptown Waterloo were contacted regarding placing information in their uptown newsletters about snow clearing, which has been done. • Inspectors are noticing improvement in sidewalk - clearing. • Even though enforcement is important, residents need to be educated about the need for prompt removal after a snowfall. • Saul suggested that, where the city blocks the sidewalk of a property when they plow, they should clear it. However, costs would escalate if the City took responsibility for removing this snow but staff stated that they are looking at this as part of a service review. • The Adult Recreation Centre has a program in place to link people who need snow shovelled with reliable people who want to shovel. There is a fee to be on the registry. • Corner curb cuts that haven't been cleared have become a problem. It is the responsibility of the property owners to clear them. • For complaints in Waterloo, you can leave a voicemail at 519 - 747 -8714 —you do not have to leave your name. City of Kitchener • People making a complaint about snow and ice in the City of Kitchener are requested to leave their name and contact information. A GRAAC member noted that having to leave your name when you call in a complaint can make a person feel uncomfortable. Shayne confirmed that in some instances there is a requirement to leave your name, however this is not a requirement with respect to snow clearance complaints. If anyone making a complaint leaves a name, that name is protected under the Freedom of Information Act. January 2008 - GRAAC Minutes 3 Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) Thursday January 24, 2008 • The City of Kitchener has made several changes this year. If the City has to go out to remove snow from a sidewalk that is not on City property, Council approved that the fee for this service increased to $300 for smaller properties and $500 for a larger property. As well, the amount of time that residents have to remove snow from their sidewalk has been decreased to 24 hours and finally, the requirement to issue a 2nd notice has been eliminated — owners will be notified once, then the issue will be forwarded to Operations. • The City has one officer who handles these complaints plus a few others to pull in if needed. If these staff people are diverted to snow complaints, other files are not looked after, i.e. noise, etc. • Staff will meet with GRAAC at the end of this season to debrief and to plan for the coming year. • If a call is received for one address, staff will look at other houses on that street (8 on either side). • Residents can call and ask for an update on their complaint. • There will be situations where the snow will be removed within 24 hours and others that will take longer — this goes back to the owner's responsibility. They will have been notified but owner isn't complying. • How do you convince absentee landlords to comply with the snow clearing by- law? Landlords are responsible to pay this snow clearance fee. In the City of Kitchener, these increased fees will encourage landlords to get a contractor to do the job as it will be cheaper than paying the City of Kitchener. • If an unfair amount of snow has been dumped at the end of your driveway, call 741 -2514. • Members can approach staff with comments at any time. S.0 OTHER BUSINESS 5.1 Joint Plan Summary -Staff With feedback received from GRAAC at the December 20, 2007 meeting (Item 6.0) having been incorporated, staff presented a summary of the Joint Plan and asked for a resolution from GRAAC to endorse it. Where is makes sense, staff will work with their municipality to create alonger -term plan (i.e. 3 -5 years). A motion was made by Sharon Ward - Zeller, seconded by Rosa Bustamante, that the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee endorse the draft 2008 Joint Accessibility Plan of the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo and Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley and Woolwich in accordance with prioritization and timelines that will be identified co- operatively with GRAAC. January 2008 - GRAAC Minutes 4 Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee ( GRAAC) Thursday January 24, 2008 • Brad noted that the motion should have been endorsed only by members from the 2007 committee as they were the ones who worked on it. Amy also remarked that, if new members are being asked to endorse something, they should have been given the information beforehand. The Co- Chairs noted that the timing of the presentation and endorsement of the Joint Plan has created some challenges and are working with staff to change the time of year that the Joint Plan is presented. 5.2 Photos of GRAAC Members Colleen, from the City of Kitchener, wanted photos of members to use in snow issues. Release forms will have to be signed by anyone agreeing to have their photo used. 6.0 ADJOURNMENT The Co- chairs mentioned that they welcome any and all suggestions that members may have. A motion was made by Ken Parker to adjourn the meeting at 4:04 p.m. All were in favour; the motion was carried. The next meeting will be held on Thursday February 28 at Kitchener City Hall in the Conestoga Room on the main floor from 1:30 -4:00 p.m. January 2008 - GRAAC Minutes Jr