DALTON, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission presented an Americans with Disabilities Act self-evaluation and transition plan to the board on Tuesday night to determine the town's priorities and paths to improvement. 

 

The state mandated this self-evaluation to enhance the town's opportunities for grant approval. The town has already completed three steps to meet this standard.

 

The town completed the first step by designating Executive Assistant Alyssa Maschino as the ADA coordinator. 

 

The town is also required to post notice that it abides by Title II of the federal act in "perpetuity located in at least one prominent public area usually designated as a public information site."

 

Finally, the town must publicly post a "Grievance Procedure under the Americans with Disabilities Act."

 

The commission presented four priorities: improving accessibility to public building entrances and exits, goods and services, public toilets, and other items such as water fountains. 

 

"Dalton is currently at the initial stage of improving ADA accessibility in town facilities, as

exemplified by the initiation of this plan, but is at this time grappling with the lack of formal

policies, training, and accommodations for people with disabilities," the Dalton ADA Transition Plan reads. 

 

Town facilities evaluated for this report include Town Hall and Police Department, Senior Center, pump station, salt shed/highway department, garage on Main Street, historical museum, cemetery office on Main Street, the Ashuelot Cemetery garage on Ashuelot Street, the cemetery chapel on Main Street, Pine Grove Park, Chamberlain Park, and various sidewalks. The full report can be found here. 

 

The board also voted to to move forward with the second flood mitigation alternative option presented by GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. after a lengthy discussion with the public.

 

GZA was awarded the bid in September 2021 to complete a preliminary engineering study for Walker Brook in the amount of $123,276. The town is paying the remaining 25 percent for the study.

 

The company presented three flood mitigation alternatives for the Walker Brook.

 

The option accepted would keep the existing culvert but add a second pipe from High Street that discharges to Walker Brook south of Glennon Avenue. This would cost $5.84 million, including a 30 percent contingency and 7 percent inflation factor. 

 

"I would actually argue for the second option going along Glennon Avenue currently because it takes it out of people's back yards. It then becomes something the town can access if it needs to," Town Manager Tom Hutcheson said. 

 

"I think that going through people's back yards would be a nightmare. In terms of rights of way, buying rights of way and maintaining the system, if anything were to happen."

 

The selected option addresses the structural deficiencies along the existing culvert, maintains downstream baseflows, limits private property impacts during construction, minimizes the need for changes to local drainage infrastructure, simplifies water control during construction, and limits long-term inspection and maintenance needs. 

 

GZA had recommended the third option because it includes all of the benefits listed above in addition to providing detenting, water quality and habitat benefits, and being more cost effective. 

 

The third option would have cost $4,938,500 including the 30 percent contingency and 7 percent inflation factor. 

 

Many members of the public were against Option 3, however, because it destroys empty building lots. Option 3 would add a daylight open channel to High Street and the Senior Center parking lot. 

 

"It also destroys the proposed five or six building lots that are set up for that empty space that you want to make a retention basin," said resident Maureen Mitchell. "So I don't believe your dollar figures that you have in your upcoming chart reflect the potential sale of those lots and a potential site or say a public safety building like for fire or police."

 

Building Grounds Superintendent Patrick Pettit also mentioned that Option 3 would also affect mosquito control.

 

Option 1 would replace the existing culvert from High Street to Main with a larger pipe along the existing alignment. This option would have cost $5,623,400. 

 

Now that the board has voted on an option, the town will move forward onto the engineering phase. The town will apply for a grant to cover 75 percent costs of the project.