Reported By Cynthia Grau | Pontiac Daily Leader
After $16 million was spent on the new Law and Justice Center in Pontiac, the Livingston County Board was recently notified that there were 99 items found in non-compliance with the Environmental Barriers Act, the Illinois Accessibility Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 with updates issued in 2010.
Law and Justice Center Committee Chairman Bill Flott was cautious about releasing any details about the issues that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office has found.
“I probably shouldn’t comment on that until we’ve talked again with the people from Lisa Madigan’s office,” he said.
According to the full list of issues in non-compliance released by Madigan’s office, 99 issues have been found. The majority of them are problems with signs, including the absence of Braille on some and height of certain signs. The remainder include parking issues, wheelchair accessibility at the entrance to the building, in bathrooms and inside the courtrooms, and the force it takes to open doors throughout the building.
Specifically, it was noted that entrance ramps are not long enough and the landing of one ramp isn’t level. Also, there isn’t enough maneuvering space at the east entrance, thresholds are too tall and the force required to open many of the doors throughout the building exceed 8.5 lbf, which is a measurement of force needed to move an object. All three courtrooms have violations making them harder for wheelchair use, as there are steps leading to the judge’s bench, court clerk/reporter area and the witness stand and wheelchair locations in the gallery and jury box are smaller than the required minimum to allow full access for wheelchairs. Some of the restrooms also have cabinets built in under sinks, which doesn’t allow knee clearance when in a wheelchair.
These issues were found during site inspections performed by Madigan’s office on Nov. 1, 9 and 16 after a formal complaint was filed with the Attorney General’s office. The letter from her office warns the county that the office expects a written proposal on how the county plans to correct these infractions and also needs to include “drawings of any construction or modifications to be done, the names of any individuals or companies who will complete the work, estimated timelines for completing each part of the project and an estimated cost of each modification.” The letter also asks that no modifications be made without approval from her office.
According to Dave Lopeman, city inspector, the Law and Justice Center passed city codes during their inspection. He said that Madigan’s office specifically enforces the codes associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Environmental Barriers Act and Illinois Accessibility Codes.
When it comes to paying for the corrections, Flott said that most of the infractions require minor work and there is still some money left over in the original Law and Justice Center budget, but until there is more discussion between the board and Madigan’s office, he had no information about any figures involved.
Messages could not be left for Livingston County Board Chairman Bill Fairfield and Administrative Resource Assistant Alina Hartley at their respective offices and neither answered calls for more details Tuesday. A message was also left for chief architect Daniel Atilano of PSA Dewberry, the firm that was in charge of the construction of the complex. He also did not return a phone call Tuesday.
The Law and Justice Center Committee is meeting at 5:30 Thursday in the basement of the Livingston County Safety Complex, prior to the 6 p.m. regular Livingston County Board meeting. These meetings are open to the public.
# http://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/news/x713196291/AG-cites-99-ADA-non-compliance-issues
Copyright 2012 Pontiac Daily Leader. Some rights reserved
Law and Justice Center Committee Chairman Bill Flott was cautious about releasing any details about the issues that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office has found.
“I probably shouldn’t comment on that until we’ve talked again with the people from Lisa Madigan’s office,” he said.
According to the full list of issues in non-compliance released by Madigan’s office, 99 issues have been found. The majority of them are problems with signs, including the absence of Braille on some and height of certain signs. The remainder include parking issues, wheelchair accessibility at the entrance to the building, in bathrooms and inside the courtrooms, and the force it takes to open doors throughout the building.
Specifically, it was noted that entrance ramps are not long enough and the landing of one ramp isn’t level. Also, there isn’t enough maneuvering space at the east entrance, thresholds are too tall and the force required to open many of the doors throughout the building exceed 8.5 lbf, which is a measurement of force needed to move an object. All three courtrooms have violations making them harder for wheelchair use, as there are steps leading to the judge’s bench, court clerk/reporter area and the witness stand and wheelchair locations in the gallery and jury box are smaller than the required minimum to allow full access for wheelchairs. Some of the restrooms also have cabinets built in under sinks, which doesn’t allow knee clearance when in a wheelchair.
These issues were found during site inspections performed by Madigan’s office on Nov. 1, 9 and 16 after a formal complaint was filed with the Attorney General’s office. The letter from her office warns the county that the office expects a written proposal on how the county plans to correct these infractions and also needs to include “drawings of any construction or modifications to be done, the names of any individuals or companies who will complete the work, estimated timelines for completing each part of the project and an estimated cost of each modification.” The letter also asks that no modifications be made without approval from her office.
According to Dave Lopeman, city inspector, the Law and Justice Center passed city codes during their inspection. He said that Madigan’s office specifically enforces the codes associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Environmental Barriers Act and Illinois Accessibility Codes.
When it comes to paying for the corrections, Flott said that most of the infractions require minor work and there is still some money left over in the original Law and Justice Center budget, but until there is more discussion between the board and Madigan’s office, he had no information about any figures involved.
Messages could not be left for Livingston County Board Chairman Bill Fairfield and Administrative Resource Assistant Alina Hartley at their respective offices and neither answered calls for more details Tuesday. A message was also left for chief architect Daniel Atilano of PSA Dewberry, the firm that was in charge of the construction of the complex. He also did not return a phone call Tuesday.
The Law and Justice Center Committee is meeting at 5:30 Thursday in the basement of the Livingston County Safety Complex, prior to the 6 p.m. regular Livingston County Board meeting. These meetings are open to the public.
# http://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/news/x713196291/AG-cites-99-ADA-non-compliance-issues
Copyright 2012 Pontiac Daily Leader. Some rights reserved
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