Terminal’s Access for Disabled Is Good Now, Will Improve

I would like to clarify some of the issues concerning accessibility for people with disabilities at the new Orange County Airport terminal.

In my opinion, the new airport terminal does not present an accessibility problem for disabled people. There are a few minor code exceptions that have been pointed out to the Airport Authority and the Orange County Building Department. Those that are an access problem are being taken care of at this time.

This whole incident has been blown out of proportion by a few people. Minor violations are common in all large projects. They are nearly impossible to avoid except in small tenant improvements.

The local Building Department is always being badgered to grant a certificate of occupancy long before construction has been completed. Many times the building inspector identifies code violations, but the contractor/developer refuses to correct the exceptions, or they negotiate a compromise. Most of these compromises are perfectly legal and comply with the hardship exemptions cited in the regulations.

If the Building Department had sufficient time and manpower to thoroughly plan, check and inspect all aspects of the project, there wouldn’t be violations, with the exception of a few gray areas. Many of these areas are subject to local interpretation.

The only way to realistically reduce violations is to have one person/team responsible for identifying and eliminating exceptions. This person/team’s only responsibility would be the implementation of the disabled access regulations, and they would have to be involved with the entire building application process, starting with planning and following through to the final inspection.

I feel the Building Department showed concern for disabled people and did an excellent job in the plan check and inspection process of the new Thomas F. Riley Terminal. Usually, there are several minor violations that I normally find in a new building, but they were not found in the new terminal.

In fact, there were a few thoughtful design features that improve accessibility for disabled persons that were not required by code.

Handling this minor disagreement through the press was a mistake. Some people have gotten the impression that the Orange County Building Department was not concerned about the needs of disabled persons or did a sloppy job enforcing the disabled access codes. As I have stated above, this is simply not true. If this matter had been taken directly to the Building Department, it would have been resolved to most people’s satisfaction.

RONALD D. MINCER, Disabled Access Consultants, San Juan Capistrano