Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

COMMITTEE CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MEETING MINUTES City of Middletown 61 Durant Terrace – Recreation/Community Service Building May 7, 2019 6:00 PM 1. Members Present: Marty Knight/Chairperson, Joe Carta (via phone), August DeFrance, Phil Cacciola, Elderrean Paules, Richard Pelletier, Joe Bibisi, Dr. Helen Evrard and Keith Vinci. Absent: Staff Present: Catherine Lechowicz – Director of Recreation and Community Services General Public: none 2. Meeting Called to Order: Called to order at 6:01pm. 3. Public Hearing: none 4. Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the meeting minutes of April 2, 2019, was made by Keith Vince and seconded by Joseph Bibisi. The motion carries. Departmental Reports:  Elderrean Paules stated that the building is at capacity and things are going well. A discussion ensued.  Richard Pelletier stated that there is a building naming committee regarding the middle school project and they are looking into a name for the school. Richard plans on suggesting that the school be named after Thomas Serra. The issue is that 2 schools are being combined and the naming of the school is very important. The Planning and Zoning board has approved the first steps of demolition as soon as school lets out for the summer. A discussion ensued.  Joe Bibisi stated that the warming center is closed. A discussion ensued.  August DeFrance stated that he has nothing to report because all of the meetings has been cancelled.  Joe Carta did not have anything to report.  Phil Cacciola stated that the bumpouts were not done properly. The only 1 bumpout that was constructed properly is on College Street. He spoke with Joe Samolis and explained the issues with the bumpouts for a person who is disabled. It is better to have a ramp instead of a curb. Phil plans on meeting with Joe Samolis and an engineer to discuss the issue. August DeFrance brought up an issue regarding an employee at City Hall. He stated that this employee has ADA issues pertaining to City Hall. Cathy spoke on this issue. She explained that the employee called Laura with certain complaints and Laura reached out to the HR department to make sure that these issues were addressed. She also called back the employee to make sure everything was completed to his satisfaction. Cathy explained that ADA issues pertaining to buildings are sent to Dean Lisitano of the Building Department. All ADA complaints and issues go directly to Laura Runte. A discussion ensued.  Keith Vinci stated that they are still waiting on the state to see what they will do with the laws that have been submitted. A discussion ensued.  Dr. Helen Evrard stated that she does not have anything to report.  Cathy Lechowicz reported on the Municipal Agent. Laura fielded 197 general questions and there was 1 ADA related inquiry. This issue has been addressed. A discussion ensued.   Marty Knight stated that he wanted to address the issue of not having a CCPD meeting during the months of July and August. The committee decided that if there were no ADA issues which Laura needed help with during those months then they will not meet. A motion to approve this request was made by Richard Pelletier and was seconded by August DeFrance. The motion carries. A discussion ensued. Old Business New Business: Miscellaneous:  Elderrean Paules asked Phil if any veterans have moved into the new housing. Phil stated that they will fill all 32 units with veterans. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 21st. Marty stated that the Lions Club was asked to fill laundry baskets full of household items for the residents of the new apartments. A discussion ensued. Adjournment: A motion of adjournment was made by Phil Cacciola and was seconded by August DeFrance. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:36 pm. Respectfully submitted, Laura Bruni Runte