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Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO The pond in Oak Ridge Town Park was engineered to hold water for the irrigation system. Years after it was installed, an Eagle Scout approached the town about constructing a pier there; unfortunately, because of the elevation of the slope from the parking lot to the pier, no reasonable solution to enable wheelchair access to the pier could be found.

Why is there no wheelchair access to the pond at Oak Ridge Town Park? It seems to me there is some way they can make a wheelchairaccessible path to the little dock so people in chairs can get to the dock.

Thanks to Terry Lannon, Oak Ridge Parks & Recreation director, for providing this detailed response to our reader’s question…

“There was discussion about this when the Eagle Scout project was proposed for the pond. Unfortunately, that pier would only work in its current location due to the fact that we were advised not to build into the dam itself and only the north and south portions

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of the pond were found suitable for the construction itself.

“It was evident to us that this obviously would be a problem for wheelchairs,” Lannon continued. “The ADA requires ‘reasonable accommodations’ and in this instance the site did not lend itself to any reasonable solution to enable wheelchair access to that pier. It was a different situation than the amphitheater since we were able to grade that slope to meet slope requirements which then would allow stage access to wheelchairs. At the pier, the pond was engineered to hold water for the irrigation system years before we were approached by the Scout and his project. It would have been impossible to change the footprint of that water body.

“The distance from the elevation of the paved surface at the top of the slope to the pier would require

Is Oak Ridge Fire Department no longer offering fi re prevention programs and installing children’s car seats?

Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Ken Gibson confirmed the department still offers fire safety and prevention programs.

“We do things at Oak Ridge Town Park and at preschools and other schools, especially during Fire Prevention Week in October,” Gibson confirmed. Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 3-9 this year, but Gibson said the department is happy to speak to groups at other times as well. If interested in having the fire department speak to your class or group, call Oak Ridge Fire Department at (336) 643-3783.

As for installing and inspecting children’s car seats, Gibson said Oak Ridge Fire Department no longer does that due to potential liability issues (Greensboro Fire Department and many other departments also no longer install children’s car seats). However, Oak Ridge residents are welcome to contact Summerfield Fire Department, which can install car seats (by appointment) every Tuesday and the first Saturday of every month at Station 9, 7400 Summerfield

Road. To make an appointment, call (336) 643-4341.

engineering and constructing of ramps down to the pier. I’m not an engineer and have only a casual knowledge of ADA construction requirements, but I would guess it would require a ramp design with at least four to five switchbacks to be able to legally descend that grade. These 36-foot-wide ramps would require guardrails and the max recommended slope would have to be between 1:16 and 1:20 with 6-footwide level landing areas at the beginning and end of each ramp segment. It was just not feasible to retrofit that area to allow that access.

“While not an elevated pier over the water, there is accessibility on the north end of the pond. The walkway there extends from the parking lot to there. It is relatively flat and free of encumbrances and less than 10 feet from the asphalt,” Lannon noted.

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