Committee Concerning People with Disabilities

COMMITTEE CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MEETING MINUTES City of Middletown 61 Durant Terrace March 1, 2022 6:00 PM 1. Members Present: Marty Knight/Chairperson, Phil Cacciola, Elderrean Paules, Richard Pelletier, Joe Carta, August DeFrance, Joseph Bibisi and Keith Vinci. Absent: none Staff Present: Catherine Lechowicz – Director of Recreation and Community Services General Public: none 2. Meeting Called to Order: Called to order at 6:03pm. 3. Public Hearing: 4. Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the meeting minutes of February 1, 2022, was made by Elderrean Paules and seconded by Richard Pelletier. Joseph Bibisi abstained. The motion carries. Departmental Reports:  Elderrean Paules stated that there were 2 vacant apartments at Monarca Place. At this time, only 1 apartment has been filled. There is still 1 vacant apartment. She has not heard any more discussion about the generator. A discussion ensued.  Richard Pelletier gave an update on the Beman School. It is 90% completed. There are going to be a total of 3 handicapped automatic doors. He has requested to resign from the recreation renovation committee as the CCPD representative. The meetings are on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7pm. This is very consistent and regular. Phil Cacciola has decided that he will be available to help with the committee dealing with the track at the high school. There will be a formal opening of the Beman Middle School in about 2 months. There was a discussion regarding the area of accessibility that cannot be accessed at Pat Kidney Field. The gates are on Huntinghill Avenue and provide accessibility to the football field and track. The arm that is in the down position prevents access to between 5-6 handicapped parking spaces. A discussion ensued.  Joseph Bibisi reported that there was a fire at the Wesley Inn and Suites which is being used as a warming center for the homeless. The residents were sent to the Eddy Shelter. A discussion ensued.  Phil Cacciola stated that he spoke to Joe Samolis about Harbor Park and the issue of accessibility. The first floor will be a bar and the second floor will be for dining. The third floor will be for overflow. There will be an elevator that will take you from the first floor to the second floor. The specs are drawn up for the generator at Monarca Place. We hope that by late spring the project will begin and hopefully by early summer the generator will be in. A discussion ensued.  Keith Vinci stated that there is finally something happening in the world of the deaf but nothing in Middletown yet. A discussion ensued.  Joe Carta stated that he had nothing to report.  August DeFrance stated that there has not been a boat house meeting in 8 months. There is a meeting scheduled for March but it will likely be cancelled. A discussion ensued.  Cathy stated that there is a need to fill positions as the CCPD representative on various commissions. She stated that she will send out an email with information about the various commissions including date/times of meetings. Keith stated that he will attend the next meeting. Cathy got a legal opinion about the 3 term limits of the committee members. A discussion ensued. Currently, there is only 1 opening on the CCPD. Cathy stated that she reached out to Molly Carta  and that Molly is interested in joining the committee. Phil made a motion to ask Molly Carta to join the Committee Concerning People with Disabilities and was seconded by Keith Vinci. The motion carries. There was 1 ADA complaint regarding a hair salon that did not clear the walkway after a snow storm. They also did not have a grab bar in the bathroom. The ADA compliance officer called the salon to make this complaint. It is being followed up with.  Marty Knight stated that there is a divot/crack from the road to the ramp (at the curb cut) next to the social room at South Congregational Church on Pleasant Street. A discussion ensued. Old Business: New Business: Miscellaneous: Adjournment: A motion of adjournment was made by Phil Cacciola and was seconded by Richard Pelletier. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:43 pm. Respectfully submitted, Laura Bruni Runte