The city is working to be a community leader when it comes to accessibility.
After being approached by Grande Prairie resident Chris Bruce in February the city has undertaken an accessibility study. The study is still in the early phases according to Sport Development, Wellness and Culture Manager Karen McGriskin.
“There’s 40-some city facilities that will be reviewed based on current code as well as accessibility. We hope to have those results back in early August.”
McGriskin says they are working with the Accessibility Advisory Committee who have identified a number of issues around the city.
“A lot of the stuff that they’ve brought forward in their preliminary findings is about ramp access, main doors for people with mobility issues [or] baby strollers. The height of thresholds in doorways and the difficulty if they’re more than a half inch high.”
She says they will also examine aisles, washrooms and button placement in a number of buildings.
When Mr. Bruce attended committee a few month ago his focus was on businesses in the community. McGriskin says that was a prompt for city management to examine their own facilities.
“We have a team that is working on many areas around community groups, accessibility, sport/rec and culture. So we have that covered in many areas now. So, it’s coming together quite well.”
McGriskin says updates to building codes have helped improve conditions in newer facilities but she expects there will be improvements needed in a number of locations.