Accessibility Assessment

ACCESSIBILITY

As stated in the previous master plan update, the West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department strives to provide a wide range of accessible programs, events, and facilities for individuals of all abilities. The City approved their first ADA Transition Plan in 1992. The plan was updated in 2012 and again in 2021. The transition plan provides goals, policies and needs associated with providing comprehensive accessibility in public facilities across the city.

The 2012 transition plan included an ADA assessment for city facilities, parks and trailhead to ensure compliance with accessibility regulations. The ADA Evaluation Reports are posted on the City of West Lafayette website and will be reassessed and updated by the end of 2022. Reports associated with Department parks include:

• Lilly Nature Center

• West Lafayette Municipal Pool

• Paula R. Woods Park

• Riverside Skating Center

• Tapawingo Park

• Cumberland Park • Lommel Park

• Mascouten Park

• Trailhead Park

• University Farm Park

Other park facilities which do not have evaluation reports posted on the City’s website, but which will be assessed in the 2022 assessment include:

• Lincoln Park

• Peck-Trachtman Park

• Tommy Johnston Park

• Northwest Greenway Trail

• Cattail Trail

• Wabash Heritage Trail

City ADA Coordinator

As a part of the 2021 updated transition plan the City of West Lafayette appointed a 13 person committee with each city department represented on the committee. This committee provides perspectives and communication for all area of the City’s day-to-day operations. The ADA Coordinator is listed as: Karen Hurtubise Margerum City Hall 222 N. Chauncey Avenue West Lafayette, IN 47906

Notice of ADA Compliance is posted on the City website and published in public meeting announcements. A grievance procedure has also been outline in the most recent transition plan. The grievance procedure can be found online at: https://www.westlafayette.in.gov/egov/ documents/1639610289_6188.pdf.

While a detailed assessment will be conducted by an ADA consultant in late 2022, this plan assessed each park for general compliance issues. The following site specific recommendations are not intended to replace the detailed ADA assessment but to complement them. These recommendations are also intended to be implemented in phases over time. Site specific improvements include:

• Paula R. Woods Park - the playground does not have an accessible route from the directly adjacent Vine Street. However, the Lawn

Avenue entrance does have an accessible route but the slope requires handrails on both sides to be in compliance. Railing should be added along the accessible route where the grade is 1:12 or greater.

• Celery Bog Nature Area - Many of the pathways through the natural area have cross-slopes which exceed guidelines. Although this would require a significant investment to correct at one time, the Department can develop a plan to correct the trails in phases to keep the costs manageable. As trails require repair or repaving, grading should be incorporated to correct the cross slopes to no more than 2%.

A strategy for regular investment to replace trails could also be developed for phased improvement.

• There is no accessible route from the Purdue

Boathouse to the nearby launch point on the

Wabash River.

The Department has worked diligently to correct compliance issues with accessibility of its parks, facilities and programs. When assessing the parks some general challenges regarding accessibility were identified in several parks. These include the following:

• The use of wood mulch as a playground surface is not ideal, but acceptable. However, this requires routine replenishment as the material breaks down and settles. A number of the play areas had low mulch elevations, which made transfer platforms inaccessible for children in mobility devices, and while concrete ramps were often present as a transition from the adjacent sidewalk to the play surface, low mulch levels create an excessive, noncompliant transition between the two materials. • Some park sites and facilities are not accessible by public transportation, and therefore not available to users who rely on public transit.

The Department is working with CityBus to extend routes to all parks including to the

Wellness Center.

• Companion space beside benches for wheelchairs should be incorporated with at least 25% of benches including companion space. Happy Hollow Park is a good example of where these improvements have been implemented.

• Many of the parks located within neighborhoods do not have off-street parking.

While the majority of park visitors are traveling to the park by foot or bike, accessible spaces should be designated within on-street parking.

An accessible route should then be provided from the accessible space to the main elements of the parks including buildings and playgrounds.

• As accessible routes age, rises greater than 1/4” can appear causing accessible routes to fall out of compliance with ADA regulations.

The Parks and Recreation Department should monitor accessible routes and develop a schedule for regular replacement of these hard surfaces as they age.

• Park signage is not always mounted at the proper heights to be compliant. The detailed

ADA assessment will help to identify signage that can be modified to be in compliance. This includes exterior and interior signage.