COSTA MESA : City Hall Access for Disabled to Be Aired

Residents worried about access to City Hall for the disabled will get a chance to air their concerns during a series of public hearings starting next month.

The city’s Access Appeals Board, the committee formed to deal with issues involving the disabled, will hold the hearings in an effort to finalize an overall plan to revamp City Hall. The recommendations will be sent to the City Council for final approval.

The board will be sifting through two voluminous reports prepared during the last several months detailing how to make City Hall more accessible. More than 300 “deficiencies” have been found--from narrow stairwells to inadequate bathroom stalls. And the problems are not limited to inside. Curbs, bus stops, even trees that interfere with sidewalks are all part of the problem.

Total cost for all the repairs is estimated at $1 million, but city officials hope to make only the most cost-efficient and necessary changes.

“We are trying to do it in a sensible way,” said Mike Waters, facilities and equipment superintendent. “We don’t have a million to spend.”

In fact, about $100,000 has already been spent and an additional $200,000 has been set aside for the other changes.

Anyone who has gone to City Hall lately will have noticed the recent changes, including lowered microphones in the City Council chambers and signs guiding the disabled. The goal is to help people get service who come into the building and need help from any of the many city departments, Waters said, adding that the disabled are encouraged to participate in the hearings.

The appeals board will hold its first public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 3 at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.