Morgan Hill City Council could consider revisions in March
Morgan Hill – It’s possible that the city could revise its special events permit this year to make organizers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Narrow pathways, barriers and cords along streets and sidewalks made it difficult to maneuver wheelchairs through crowds during last year’s Fourth of July parade and Mushroom Mardi Gras festival, said Bill Quenneville, a member of the Morgan Hill Senior Advisory Commission who relies on a motorized scooter and walking canes to get around.
Part of the problem, said Quenneville, who injured his back 13 years ago and suffers nerve damage to his spine, is the city is not alerting organizers to ADA regulations they are required to follow.
“It’s a matter of education,” said Quenneville. “It would just be nice from the city’s standpoint to have a checklist.”
Special Assistant to the City Manager Julie Spier is researching ADA regulations that apply to the community’s five major special events, including the Taste of Morgan Hill, the Safe Trick or Treat, the holiday lights parade, the Fourth of July parade and Mushroom Mardi Gras.
“We’re bringing existing laws to the forefront,” Spier said, adding she would attend the next Senior Advisory Commission meeting at 1:30pm, Feb. 6, at the Centennial Recreation Center. “They’re things (organizers) should be doing anyway.”
Spier also plans to meet with the Morgan Hill Public Safety and Community Services Committee to discuss revisions to the events permit before going to the city council in March. The timeline allows for a tougher permit to apply for all of 2007’s major events, beginning with Mushroom Mardi Gras on May 26-27.
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a sweeping civil-rights law that prohibits discrimination based on physical or mental impairment. ADA lawsuits over the years have forced many communities to provide better sidewalk access for people who using wheelchairs and canes or are visually impaired. The Senior Advisory Commission, seeking to raise a stronger voice on ADA issues, is considering asking the Morgan Hill City Council to establish a city commission to handle disability issues affecting all age groups.
As to beloved community events, Quenneville thinks one problem is there is little ability for a person with a disability to have input in planning events.
“Someone who does not have a physical limitation doesn’t see the barriers,” he said. “They think, ‘I can just walk around it, it’s no big deal.’ ”
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tb*******@*************es.com.
