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Report of the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: The Mashpee Americans with Disabilities Act Committee's objective is to actively pursue efforts to improve access to public and private buildings and facilities in Mashpee for persons with disabilities, and to increase awareness of ADA requirements on the part of town officials, the Chamber of Commerce, business owners and managers. As in previous years, our 2016 record was mixed. We saw a few areas where access has been improved and other areas where much remains to be done. We are encouraged by the obvious increased awareness of access requirements shown by accessibility features incorporated into building and remodeling projects. Our thanks to the various permitting agencies for ensuring access issues are addressed in the process. Catherine Laurent and the DPW continue to be one of our biggest supporters ensuring handicapped access is incorporated into their projects. Improvements at the Community Park, the Archives, and the upgraded boat ramps provide much greater access for the disabled. Thanks also to Mike Mendoza, Building Commissioner, for aggressively enforcing the town by-law regarding handicapped parking. Mary Lou Palumbo, Director of Mashpee Chamber of Commerce, has also been instrumental in keeping members aware of their obligations under the ADA. Thanks to the cooperation of the Conservation Department and Mr. Paul Kruzel, New Seabury General Manager, access to the beach at the Beach Club is being rebuilt to include a ramp allowing residents with mobility problems to get onto the beach. This project should be completed in time for the 2017 season. New Seabury is also incorporating necessary accessibility features into their latest housing projects. Thanks also to Town Clerk Debi Dami, along with Meg Santos and the rest her staff, for their work in ensuring town meetings and elections are readily accessible to the disabled. The special voting machines enable people with a variety of disabilities to participate in the electoral process. The early voting program introduced for the 2016 election made it much easier for disabled residents to cast their ballot. Thanks also to the staff in the Selectmen's Office for arranging for the closed captioning capability (CART) that makes it much easier for town meeting attendees to follow the proceedings. Continued focus on Mashpee Commons is required in 2017. Mashpee Commons' management continues to resist complying with handicapped parking requirements. The location of several handicapped spaces and curb cuts do not meet the requirements of town by-laws and, in several cases, pose serious safety risks. The ongoing commercial/residential expansion at Mashpee Commons requires scrutiny of handicapped access. The slope of the hill from Steeple Street to the accessible housing appears intimidating to a person using a wheelchair, walker or other mobility assist. The accessibility features of the designated accessible apartments need to be examined prior to occupancy. The Committee continues to review compliance concerns at various businesses locations and of Town - owned property to ensure that accessibility concerns are reviewed and solutions are presented. In closing, this Committee encourages anyone who has concerns and/or questions regarding accessibility issues to reach out to any one of our members. Respectively submitted, Robert Wooldridge, Chairman Michele Brady Kimberly Landry Michael Mendoza Charles Maintanis (Alternate) Patricia Parolski Beverly Wooldridge 29