12/12/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e accessib1et but the commission would like to see all public buildings in the community eventually made accessible; strengthening the building code is the way to accomplish this goal. With regard to an earlier action taken by the City Councilt Ms. Barnhart said the commission would prefer to see a ramp installed at the She1ton-McMurphey House rather than a lift. She said lifts are problematic because they malfunction frequent1Yt are slow and cumbersome, and are difficult for persons with certain disabilities to operate. Ms. Barnhart said lifts also tend to be more expensive than ramps. She said the commission feels it would be possible to install a ramp that would not detract from the historical nature of the building. Mayor Obie arrived at 6:15 p.m. Mr. Bennett said his position is that aging and housing issues are the responsibility of the entire community and not specifically the development community. Mr. Bennett said in discussing accessibility of older buildings, a balance must be struck between the cost of accessibility and the benefits of a financially successful renovation. He said in many instances the cost of making an older building accessible may make a rehabilitation project unfeasible for the developer. If successful rehabilitation of a building is important to the community as a wholet Mr. Bennett said the community ought to help meet the accessibility requirements and to make the rehabilitation successful. Mr. Bennett said the Shelton-McMurphey House is a good example of this. He encouraged the human rights commissions to consider this balance e between accessibility and historic preservation in its work. Mr. Bennett also addressed the fair housing law. He said decent and affordable housing for children is important, but he does not feel the fair housing law will promote this goal. Mr. Bennett believes many people will try to evade the law or build low-density projects where children will not be an annoyance to neighbors. Mr. Bennett said he hopes the human rights commissions will consider this perspective in their discussions of housing issues. Ms. Bascom suggested that the human rights commissions invite Councilor Bennett to participate in a discussion of housing issues. Ms. Bascom said many of the people who need and use disabled parking spaces are not wheelchair bound. She asked whether there was a more appropriate symbol to designate these parking spaces. Ms. Barnhart said the commission has discussed this issuet but feels it might be counterproductive to change the symbol locally because it has come to be recognized as a symbol for disabled parking world-wide. In response to a question from Ms. Schue, Ms. Barnhart said currently the Calkins House is legally in compliance with City codes regarding accessibility. She said the commission is uneasy about this and will continue to monitor the house to make certain it does not violate the law. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 12t 1988 Page 4