Disability Advisory Committee - Regular Meeting

I keep leaving out the FAV, but now the teen depot is already open. It's open Thursday through Sunday or Thursday through Saturday? Thursday through Sunday. All right. Oh, did you all figure out a solution for the bathrooms at Greenway? They're open. They're just single use. One of them has a standard baby diaper changing station. The other one has um Did you redo Did you all redo them? They're redone. Oh, you've already done. And one of them has um an adult size changing station. Okay. And then when are they open? They're open during daylight hours. They're on timer. That was something remember that was like a issue at our last people were asking our guys built it based off the specs they got um for ADA compliance. Yeah, I knew we we did that um did you all end up going with the table like it's just a table? Okay. And then they're doing one at the FAP, but they only have room to do it in the men's bathroom and not in the women's. And so they're putting a note up that says adult changing station um in men's. If you need assistance, let us know and then we'll run everybody out like make sure it's clear and guard the door while they go in. Okay. Cuz there's just not enough room in the women's to do it. So yeah. Well, we get we actually that was one of the complaints if you remember was

somebody said there was no men's anything for men, you know. All right, you're good to go and then I can update you as we go. Okay. We'll make a list here. All right. Good evening. Today is Monday, May the 12th. I had to think for a minute. 5:00 p.m. 5:02 actually, Liz. Um, let's get uh say the pledge of allegiance before we do our roll call. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Let's get this started. All right, let's have our protocol start with you. Elizabeth Hardy, Ashley Jones, Amy Benedas, Andrea Frasier, and Cindy Perkins. All right. All right. So, let's see about did anybody have any approval uh questions about the minutes for our meeting on February the 10th? No corrections. All right. And can someone give me a motion to approve those minutes? Motion to approve. All right. Is there a second? I'll second. All right. All right, minutes have been approved. All right, let's start with some old business.

First, we will start with welcoming our new member, Andrea Frasier, to our group. Thank you. Um, Andrea is coming in as a caregiver for um her daughter who has cerebral paly. Morgan. She's a local town celebrity. You want to say anything? Tell anything? Thank you for having me. Glad to be here. Hopefully I can offer you guys another perspective on things as well. Yay. All right. All right. So, okay. All right. Does anybody have anything to add on the old business before I go on a rundown? We had um the bathrooms at Greenway. Um there was some things going on uh with uh remodeling uh adding um changing station. And so now that is all done and complete and the bathrooms are open during daylight hours for anybody that needs to use them. And then um the Teen Depot is open Thursday through Sundays for our teenagers. And the um FAP Family Activities Park has added a ADA compliant changing station as well. It is in the men's room because the way the women's was, there was not enough

room to build how um they wanted to be able to fit. Uh so if you are there and you need to go in the men's room, just let one of the people know at the concession stand and they will clean the bathroom out for you and uh let you get in there to use it. Other than that, I think uh old businesswise, we are all good and we can move on to the new business unless anybody else has anything to add. All right, let's go on to new business. Let's talk about what we got coming up in the city of Charles Town. Um we have Founders Week coming up in June. Um, the majority of that stuff is on the square. No. Can we give an update? Just not Greenway Park. Can we give you an update? We'll get Mayor Tree to give an update. Okay. Hello everyone. We're serving. Um, so the family activity just events family activities park opens on May 24th officially all of it for the season. So splash pad everything they'll have events going on. The depot will be open during the day when it is open as well. And then of course the teen restricted times are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They get in free just for the depot from 3 to 9. But during the day, all ages can play in the depot. Um with their general admission to the family activities park once it opens on the 24th. Um founders week, it's a week-long event. Um just some of the things that are coming up as far as that. So it kicks off Saturday the 21st. Uh the a group of teams are leading a

diversity festival and cleanup event again. This is the second year in a row they've done that. We were able to clean a lot of trash last year out of Pleasant Run Creek that runs through Greenway Park and it's led and completely organized by by the teams. So that happens from 10 to 2 on the 21st. Um the teams themselves had asked about ways to make that um more friendly for people of different ability levels. It's complicated because it's in a creek. I mean there's only so much you can do. Um but we did talk about ways where people wanted to come and help serve. There may be other things that they can do. um you know helping them pass out water or managing trash bags, that kind of stuff for us. Um being kind of a point of entry along the way for people to come back and grab essentials that they need to be around the creek. So I think it's great that we have group of of team pre-teens and teams that have that kind of a focus uh that they want to acknowledge that that was something they did last year. So we'll be doing that again this year. And then the pageant, the founders day pageant will be that afternoon. I think it starts at 2. Um last year we had the little fashion show. I if you guys want to do something, you can. Our theme for founders week this year is a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Um, so if you come up with something you would like to do for that, let me know and I'll get you plugged in with Carrie and we'll give you a special spot at the It's always nice to have something to do with the intermission while the judges are making their decision. Um, so we can work that out if you'd like to do something again. um the 22nd. So, Monday the Sunday the 22nd, trivia um which is open and available for everybody. It's at the Arts and Enrichment Center and it starts at 2:00, I believe. Um team trivia. It's really fun. Charles Ren comes and leads it. It's a good time. Then immediately following that, we're having a couple hours of open house at

the Arts Enrichment Center. Now that the renovations, by then they'll be completely done. They are finishing up the final stages of that. Now, they did create or they did remodel the accessible bathroom there, making the entrance off of the main hallway instead of having to go through the back closet to get there. And they made it truly ADA compliant. Moved the sink out of the way, put grab bars in. There is no adult changing station in there just wasn't room, but um it is able to accommodate a wheelchair easier than it was. So, making small improvements as we go. Uh we did look at putting a ramp. One of the things that came up was we used the shelter in the basement of the A&E for emergency storm shelter. One of the things that came up was how do we get people who use wheelchairs or have mobility challenges down in the stairs. There is no good solution for this right now. We need a lift and they're incredibly expensive. They were not we weren't able to install one in any logical place down there with the budget we have. We looked at putting a ramp, but the grade is too, you know, from outside is too steep. You wouldn't be able to do it um to do it safely. So, right now, we just look at it like it's an emergency shelter only and if it comes to it, we will find a way to get the person into the shelter if they need to be in the shelter. So, um it's just a temporary thing, but we are aware of it and are still brainstorming and trying to find ways to to fix that. Um also on the 22nd, that evening is Shakespeare in the Park. So the that Sunday is a big day of trivia, then the open house in the chase around the park. It'll be up here on the square. And if it rains, it'll be at 8 a.m. The 22nd, which is Monday, is our Lego camp. So that's open to I want to say it's ages 8 to 12. Um there'll be more information out on that. It'll be during the day at the middle school. The 24th, Tuesday night, is the annual ice cream social at the family activities park. That's run by the Moore family. They handle all of that.

The 25th is our MV dinner theater. It is of course ADA accessible because we have it at the arts and enrichment center and we can arrange for that. It's tickets purchased but it'll be that information will be out. The 27th is family fun night at the family activities park. We have the roller derby team coming back to do another route demonstration. We have Will Sector Band going to play down at the depot. Um the park's open for free that night just to get people in and having a good time with their fans. I think they got some Valentine's and stuff like that coming in. Um, and then our big event is the 28th. So, we've made a few changes. Um, we want Founders Day to be an all day thing and have it make sense for people. So, there will be the massive car show, the Backyard Classics annual car show from 10 to 3 on the square. There is a critter convention that has rented the arts and enrichment center and they do charge a fee but we put them there because it is an accessible space and what they do is they bring critters of different kinds reptiles and small animals and it's not a purchase kind of thing. They're not buying animals. It just gives people a chance to go and learn about those animals and experience them and have. So that'll be going on during the day at the A&E. And then our parade will be at 1:00 p.m. The route is changing. Instead of using Market Street this year, we're going to leave depart from the high school and down Monroe, turn on the main to level back to the high school. We feel like that'll be a much easier parade route for our viewers and our participants. With Market Street, it's so wide. When you get up to the section of town, people have a hard time knowing where to stand. And I always have had concerns because it's wide, you have children more likely to dart out, and I don't like that. So, we changing the location of the parade.

Literally did it. They said it went pretty well. So, I think we'll have good luck with it as well. And then we want people to come straight to the the little league carts. That's where all the festivities will be. So we will be providing transportation via golf cart and the train all day, all evening from the high school and from Pleasant Ridge parking lot to if it's available. I'm not sure how quick they're going to tear it down. Um but definitely from the high school um to the festivities. There will be accessible parking available at the Little League, but it's restricted to devices only because if people can ride a golf cart, they should ride the golf cart. There are limited spaces there, so we reserve them for people who use wheeled devices or who have larger walkers that are hard to put onto a golf cart. Um, is the car show on the square? Square. Yeah, it'll be on the square. So, our goal is to have events going all day long. So, we are looking for groups that want to sponsor a little carnivalesque. We're going to have what we call the family fun field. So, one of the fields, think of it like your cakewalks and your ring tosses and your duck pools and plinko boards or spin, you know, whatever. those little games a chance that people can play so that families can enter and they'll be able to purchase the little tickets no very low price and go around and spend their tickets at the booths and it's a way for us to raise money um for the beautifification committee. Um but that way businesses uh we're looking for any businesses that want to set up. We're looking for any nonprofits that want to set up. Anybody that wants to be front facing that would not be traditional market vendor. So, welcome to They have no setup fee for them. They just come and set up and wait for them to engage with people. So, we'll have that going on. We'll have bounce houses. We'll have the market. Of course, Julie's coordinating the the vendor

market. We're going to have a something new. We're going to have a dress as your favorite Charles contest. We are Charles Town. So, we're going to have a dress as your favorite Charles contest. Um, so whoever your favorite Charles in all of the world or popular media is dressed as your favorite Charles. Charlie Brown's pretty cool. Charlie Brown. Um, Ray Charles. Ray Charles. I mean, there are lots of Charles. First or last name there, you know. Yeah. Lots of Charles. There you go. So, we'll have dressed your favorite Charles contest. We've got a DJ coming until the bands come on later that evening with the balloon blow and all that. So, it should be an all day fun event um for people to enjoy. It'll be a good time. I'll go get a video camera and dress as Charles. There you go. Yeah, it should be. I I suspect we'll see quite a few of some of our local Charles's uh that we all know um running around. It'll be interesting to see how people handle that. Um but we thought I don't remember which staff member came up with that, but I thought it was brilliant. And what? So when will that be? It'll be during Founders Day. Yeah. So the parade kicks everything off at 1 and we'll just have all the events. They'll have a timeline. Brian will advertise everything and we have a meeting um next week to kind of go over details, the fine details. But um the parade theme, of course, the whole theme is beautiful day in the neighborhood. So we want people to decorate their floats with their favorite TV show neighborhood um or family. and we will have judges and we're going to have we're going to seek some pretty awesome prizes this year for our top three parade floats. Not just a trophy, but something something fun, something nice. So, um trying to get people involved and get people out and make it more of a fun all days in rather than having the parade attending and this massive gap before everything starts. So, should be a good time. Um always open to suggestions, of

course, just get them to us sooner rather than later so we can work them into the planning and not not be scrambled last minute. We are the the master plan survey closed today. Today's the last day for the family activities park master plan survey. They emailed me this morning and said we had 617 responses. And I want to put that in perspective for you. When we did the parks master plan in 2021 for the entire city, we had 500 and something less than 600 responses. For a community our size, this is I I I have no words to describe. They have communities that are three and four times as large as we do and they might get 60 responses and consider that good. For a community the size of ours to have had 617 responses to a survey is huge. So, we are so glad that our community wants to provide feedback. I'm sure the number one thing will probably be a pool, so I'll have to address that. But um I'm really proud that so many of the people responded. 678. Yeah. Requests will be right. So we're going to have to address that. I'm someone that doesn't have a pool. Um mine too. But I'm super proud that we had such a great response from that. I think that'll help us make the space better. Um and of course, uh thank you for sending out the list, um of the FAP, some of the things on there. We have a couple of those things in the works. I'm going to give this to Carrie and make sure she remembers that we have it. Um the quiet room or nursing room area to cool down. That's difficult cuz we just don't have many enclosed spaces that we are allowed to let people in. We do have kind of a storage room that we use that's available for people when they have private rentals where we keep a refrigerator. That's where they keep their ice cream and stuff in for the rental. So, what we're going to do

instead for now is just have Brian make up some signs to put on the facility that say need quiet space, let us know. And then staff will be able to go make sure the room is clear, allow the person to go in. We'll have, you know, some chairs in there to to do the best we can to help make it a comfortable spot. Um, and then staff will be able to knock the door so nobody disturbs until that kind of thing. So, we're trying to create some space, but there's just not a lot of enclosed space that's not staff only or just a closet. We don't want that. So, we are working on that. Um, and then some of the other things um that they're working on, she was trying to add one of those bottle filling water fountains. We put one down at um Greenway Park. So, now at the concession stand, there's one of the bottle filling water uh water not fountains, but you know what I mean. And then there's also one at the A. They took out the water fountain. We like those better because it's less people's mouths on the accretments. They just fill their own puddle and it just makes a little more sense. So, she's trying to get one of those installed there. But, um I'll pass the rest of this all through her um so she can they are working on the splash pad floor. So, the splash pad floor malfunctioned the for whatever reason it separated from the edges and shrunk inward. It's under warranty. Unfortunately, the pieces they need to fix it had to come from Australia and they are currently somewhere in the middle of the ocean on a ship. And so we have no ETA for these parts. Um, so they have gone out and kind of peeled back sections along the drain so we can go in and open for the season, but we do not know when that'll be fixed. They are supposed to be painting the edges with the grip paint um in the meantime. So, those are some of the things that had mentioned on that. You already mentioned the bathroom update that they did there. H&R Block building as an update on that.

Um, they're waiting on some final survey information. The building has officially been turned over to us. The H&R Block has vacated the building. Um, we expect that it will be the bidding. They're going to bid it in two different packages. There's the demolition and there's the paving re, you know, redoing the space. They probably won't be able to even start on that until July, but we don't have any major events in Green City events in Greenway Park until October, the trail. So, um I have I mean I'm pretty sure I'm very confident it'll be done by then. Um they're looking at eight ADA parking spaces designated there. Um and then there will be some additional ones, but during events we will of course make it only accessible parking. But eight we feel is sufficient for that space, that lot. And we also have one over, it's a wheelchair accessible one over at the Spring Street lot as well. So, um, we need a new member. I don't expect you to deliberate here, but, uh, we did. So, Jennifer David resigned from the committee, so I do need a new member. And um and we try to keep this within the city of Charleston city limits. So if you know somebody, it can be a service provider, you have an adult who lives with a disability, um it could be a caregiver, we have room for any of the three. So if you think of someone, um feel free to make a recommendation to me. Okay. Any questions for me? Anybody else? Thank you. Thank you. Okay. So, other than the

FAP and the Father's Day and stuff, that's about the only other um upcoming events right now. Um, I think the parking for everything has kind of um worked itself out now because of the H&I block building and of course there's still parking at the AM and all that. So I think for all these events we're good on that. And um does anybody have any other um things they want to discuss? Do we want to do anything as a group for any of these events? I don't know if we want to commit to anything specifically other than if we do something for the pageant like we did last year. Um, it was hard trying to find people to volunteer for that. I'm not sure. We probably have to uh brainstorm on some stuff to do there besides just um you know last year we did the um it was through the years. So we did decade each decade. Yeah, we did. And we had like an adult um or child living with a disability with teamed with um one of the senior um members of the senior Charleston City senior group. Um you know, so we kind of just did that together and it it was a cute it was a cute thing, but it was just really hard to get volunteers. you all could think of anything maybe besides doing that. You know, we definitely have enough time that we could figure it out between now and I

just I hadn't thought about it honestly. I knew there was a lot more events this year going on and I figured that we, you know, between all of us would probably be just attending those events and doing stuff at those events. Um, you know, naturally when you go to the events, you don't have to promote yourself as being on the disability advisory committee. I always I I usually try to wear one of my shirts and and walk around and, you know, see if anybody needs me. Usually, usually someone does. Yeah. Usually Carrie's always needing somebody to volunteer for something, so I usually just find her and say, "What do you need?" But, you know, I mean, that's it just depends on each person's. I don't want anybody to have to, you know, I know Ry's busy and I don't want you to have to commit to specifically at this point. It's still a little bit way, you know, but we can kind of brainstorm about it, you know, offline and see what anybody comes up with. Um, same with the new member person. if you can come up with some brainstorming ideas on any um any members in the city limits. We we are at like uh Mayor Tr said, we're kind of open at that we could have a provider, a person living with disability or a caregiver at this point. Um you know, we can come up with somebody. We we have a lot of people that we can that aren't in the city limits, but we really need to find at least one more person that is in the city limits. So, if we could maybe brainstorm on that between now and our next uh meeting will be good. Um does anybody um we probably should

have a meeting in I don't know if we can make June work because of founders day. It might be um my calendar. Will the meeting that's after tonight be on the 9th of June? Will it be Monday, June 9th or Monday, June 2nd? I get confused if it's It's always the second Monday. It's the second Monday. Okay. The first Monday is city council meeting, but they're not until 6:30. So, as long as you meet at 5, you're fine. So, is there does anybody have between the 2nd or the 9th have any um I'm open either. So, I I am not picky for either. Do you anybody else have any uh preference on which one we did? You all have your works good. You all good with that? for me. Do we want to do the second? Do that one. Second. All right. Let's go with June 2nd. 5:00 p.m. Does that Does that time work for everybody too with their work schedules? Okay. Well, that meeting not starting till 6:30. We do have a little bit of flexibility if if something would come up for somebody. Yeah. Where we were in a pinch where we wanted to have a quorum. Yeah. We could potentially shift it back a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Even if we went to 5:30, we'd still have plenty of time. Okay. All right. Does anybody else have anything they want to add in here at all? All right. Anybody give me a motion to adjurnn? A motion to adjourn. All right. 5:29 p.m. Can I get a second? All right. We are adjourned,

y'all. Are we offline? I have to wait a second for it to load. But yeah, assistant didn't want to talk. So Cash is just trying to destroy your house. Oh, is he wants to break the grandfather clock? Amelia is panicking again. She said,