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Q&A
Discussion on ADA compliance and accessibility in school buildings
6:19:20
ยท
3 min
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about the SCA's efforts to make school buildings ADA compliant. The discussion covers the challenges of upgrading old buildings, the number of schools that cannot be made fully compliant, and ongoing accessibility projects.
- SCA commits to surveying all remaining sites within two years
- About 300 secondary sites and a few unsurveyed sites remain
- SCA has completed an average of 9 accessibility projects per year over the last decade
Rita Joseph
6:19:20
In regards to the maximum practical accessibility, the SCA has indicated that between 10 to 15% of school buildings cannot be ADA compliant and we talked about that because of age, configuration, location, historic designation, and other variables.
6:19:36
Would these schools all require new capacity building to be ADA compliant?
6:19:40
If so, does SCA consider the locations of schools that cannot be ADA compliant in their new capacity planning?
UNKNOWN
6:19:49
The SCA in a in a internal meeting said that Tom said that.
6:19:53
So
Rita Joseph
6:19:53
It's on the record.
6:19:54
Tom said
UNKNOWN
6:19:55
where it where it belongs.
6:19:58
We we have about 300 secondary sites and a few sites we have not surveyed yet, but we're committing right now first time to
Rita Joseph
6:20:06
On the record in front of everyone.
6:20:08
I love it.
UNKNOWN
6:20:08
Well, we'll have them all done in two years.
6:20:10
So we'll have a much better answer for you on specifically what we don't think after we visit the buildings that can't be done for whatever reasons.
Rita Joseph
6:20:17
Because some of them are too old as we meant.
UNKNOWN
6:20:19
Right.
6:20:19
Right.
6:20:19
And all landlocked in Manhattan with no room to do anything or cut enough capacity inside.
6:20:25
But there's there's various reasons for that, but we will have those listed out in two years with the building accessibility profiles on those buildings.
Rita Joseph
6:20:32
Is it possible to just bring new buildings onto those sites completely since they are too old?
6:20:38
I think SHPO would have something to say about that.
Nina Kubota
6:20:45
So I'm afraid to say probably not.
Rita Joseph
6:20:48
Of course, of course.
6:20:51
That's so that's what I was asking, has SCA determined how much it would cost to rebuild and replace these schools in these in the ADA compliant manner?
Nina Kubota
6:20:59
No, think what Tom was referring to is how many cannot be made and
Rita Joseph
6:21:03
then He's gonna share that number, but if we were to, how many can we do?
Nina Kubota
6:21:08
I'm sorry, how many can we do?
Rita Joseph
6:21:09
How can how many can we rebuild and replace?
6:21:13
In the stock you have that says you said there's nothing we can do because these buildings are too old.
6:21:18
Is it is there a possibility to rebuild?
6:21:21
That's what I'm asking.
UNKNOWN
6:21:22
I think that would be a case of case by case.
Rita Joseph
6:21:24
Case by case.
UNKNOWN
6:21:25
Yeah.
6:21:25
Thank you.
6:21:25
Depending where it's located.
Rita Joseph
6:21:27
Trust me, my questions have they're going somewhere.
Nina Kubota
6:21:29
I know.
6:21:30
I know.
Rita Joseph
6:21:30
Trust me, they're going somewhere, and I know what I'm asking for.
6:21:33
I know.
6:21:33
Are there accessibility projects funded under the fiscal twenty twenty four twenty twenty twenty four plan that will be completed in the next few years?
Nina Kubota
6:21:47
Yes.
UNKNOWN
6:21:48
Absolutely.
6:21:49
And, I just wanna tell you after the the in an average of over the last ten years since we've all been working together on this, we've averaged nine completed projects per year, a total of 90 projects.
6:21:59
So I'm real proud of that.
Rita Joseph
6:22:01
Yeah.
6:22:01
We
UNKNOWN
6:22:01
From where we were twelve years ago.
Rita Joseph
6:22:03
Okay.
6:22:04
So see, we're getting to a good place.
6:22:07
Can SCA provide a list of accessibility projects that have either been identified with funding from this plan or progress with funding from the prior plan?
Nina Kubota
6:22:15
Absolutely.
6:22:16
We can provide you with the list.
6:22:17
I think we have provided the list recently of the FY 25 to 29 identified projects.
6:22:23
Happy to provide you with the twenty twenty to twenty twenty four funded projects.
6:22:28
And I think most of them are actually in construction right now.
6:22:33
I think 47 active construction projects from that plan.