Granby’s town council adopted a motion last week to install a platform elevator outside the municipal court after a resident filed a complaint about the current access ramp.
According to Granby Mayor Julie Bourdon, after meeting with an architect, it was determined that the ramp is out of date, and it doesn’t meet the universal accessibility standards. The town council decided to tackle the issue right away, hoping to avoid any further problems.
“We talked to an architect and he checked everything and he said it’s not the best thing for the people who have reduced mobility, so that’s why we’re investing this year to have a platform elevator for people with reduced mobility,” said Bourdon.
The project was approved last Monday, however, Bourdon doesn’t know when construction will begin at the municipal court. She believes it will happen sometime after winter. She noted that it will cost an estimated $70,000, including engineers, architects, and construction workers.
Bourdon told The Record that she hasn’t received any positive or negative opinions following the council’s decision to spend funds on a platform elevator. Residents have come to expect a high standard of accessibility in Granby, which explains the lack of reaction, she said.
The town recently updated its aquatic centre, adding a wheelchair-friendly locker room, as well as making it easier for people with reduced mobility to enter the pool. Granby also revamped most of its downtown core to meet universal accessibility standards.
“We checked on the other buildings, and they all seem to be alright, so we don’t have any problems with that,” Bourdon said, adding that the town has updated the arena, the swimming pool, and the public library in the past few years.
Bourdon said the town has made it clear that it cares about accessibility standards. It has been a major part of the town council’s policy in recent years. Any renovations, or new construction projects, especially for public buildings, must accommodate people with reduced mobility.
Bourdon is in her first term as the mayor of Granby, and although accessibility to the municipal court wasn’t at the top of her agenda, she gladly fast-tracked the issue, knowing how important accessibility standards are in the town. The complaint was filed sometime last year.
“We have had a policy of accessibility for a couple of years at the town, so all of the new buildings, everything that we do is thinking with this policy. In the downtown, we redid everything to satisfy everyone in wheelchairs and make everything accessible,” Bourdon said.
