COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES 2009 Annual Report

The Falmouth Commission on Disabilities meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 PM at the Gus Canty Recreation Center. Our meetings are open to the public and all are welcome to attend. We would like to thank the Town Manager, elected and appointed town officials and staff for the continued support they have given to the people with disabilities of the town.

We have met 9 times over the past year. The January and March meeting was cancelled due to hazardous weather conditions. One of our members, The Chair Jay Kingwill, was ill for several months, and passed away peacefully March this year. Otherwise, attendance averaged 90%, and no member missed more than three meetings.

Ernest Mayberry, Roberta and James Manning was appointed to a second three-year term by the Selectmen, and at the July meeting Ernest Mayberry was elected Chair, Bob Parker remained as Vice-Chair, and Jim Manning continued as Secretary. Due to Jim’s technical skill, the minutes continue to be posted in a timely fashion each month after they are approved.

During the past year, the Commission worked with members of town government and other local agencies and groups on access and other issues of concern to town residents with disabilities. Several town officials have attended our meetings from time to time. During the past year, these have included Peter McConarty, Brian Dale, Don Hoffer, Betty Lynch, Margaret Russell and several other members from the 300 Club came several times. We have also been visited by members of the Mashpee Commission on Disabilities.

As we said last year, we have combined our database of residents with disabilities with the list compiled by the Senior Center, and this list is integrated into the system maintained by the LEPC at the Fire Station. This has been put on the Fire Department’s hard drive, and the Senior Center has volunteers who update the list.

At the August 2008 meeting the Commission voted to increase its membership to 9 members. This is in keeping with our bylaws and MGL 40, Chapter 8J. The question was put to the April Town Meeting, Article 46, and approved.

At this writing, H4646, the bill that is intended to bring the AAB regulations on parking lots with less than 15 spaces in line with the ADA requirements that such lots have a handicapped space, has not passed the House. It has gotten to the Ways and Means Committee, but so far that’s it.

We have still gotten nowhere working with the post office and parking. As you’ve no doubt noticed, they’ve spent a lot of taxpayer money on putting barriers at the two entrances to the parking area. Currently it appears that it is a dead issue.

We have continued to monitor parking in problem spots. Examples Mall, Plaza and other spots around town.

Since last year the Traffic Advisory Committee approved our recommendations for three handicap spots on Main Street. The Town Manager promptly request the DPW to place the necessary signs at these locations. It was done in a timely manner. Our thanks to Sgt. DeCosta, Selectman Flynn and the rest of the Committee.

The Commission is starting to work on trying to get improvements for the disabled at several intersections , we now have a viable wheelchair crossing in three directions at the Davisville intersection.

We still have not been able to persuade the powers-that-be of the importance of having both CART and sign interpreters at Town Meeting. This would cost the town a maximum of approximately $7,200 if both Town Meetings were three days, and proportionally less if they are two days. The two applications serve different constituencies, and would serve our citizens well. We will keep trying.

We have worked extensively with the DPW, especially Mr. Dale and Mr. McConarty, this year. In the fall we contributed money to create a handicap area to the right of Gus Canty, where handicap vehicles can park and people can see the game, and where people using wheelchairs can access a special viewing area that was created. We also have contributed money to create an area at the Depot Avenue parking lot that created a hard surface for four vehicles and a graduated ramp, so handicap drivers can use a wheelchair when they park there (wheelchairs don’t do well on a dirt surface). And, in our most extensive project, we have partnered with the Falmouth Commodores to create a walkway from the special handicap parking area at Fuller Field to the bleachers. This project has since been completed and is working well.

Finally, we have submitted to Mr. Calise and Mr. Whritenour a list of the most egregious places where there are access problems for people with disabilities, such as no curb cut, poles in the middle of sidewalks, etc.

Ernie Mayberry worked diligently with Rite-Aid, and succeeded in getting them to install two van-accessible spaces with a ramp between in front of the store.

Jim Manning used his expertise on the computer to design our beautiful new stationery, as well as calling cards for each Commission member.

With the kind assistance of Leslie Morrissey, Lynne Carreiro, and Sallie Giffen, as well as Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper, we have been able to accomplish a number of changes at the new library that are beneficial to people with disabilities. We requested that they install a curb on the lower slope leading down from the Main Street entrance to prevent the possibility that a wheelchair might tip over the edge. We asked that they bevel the edges of the marble thresholds. We asked for a differentiation in the marking of the main stairs to assist people with poor vision. We asked for a couple of handicap parking spaces by the Katherine Lee Bates entrance, and one new one in the Peg Noonan parking area . And finally, we asked for self-opening doors at the main entrances. All these improvements were cheerfully done, and we are most appreciative.

We also met with Marc Dupuis to review the new high school provisions for people with disabilities, and came away most satisfied.

Our thanks as always to those who help us, especially Tom Mountford, the parking patrol, Don Hoffer, the DPW and the library, and especially George Spivey, our ADA Coordinator.

Respectfully Submitted,



COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES REPORT PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN ON 8/4/09:

Thank you on behalf of the Commission on Disabilities for inviting me to speak to you tonight, and thank you for your continuing support. As I mentioned last year, the work we are engaged in never stops, but its ultimate rewards are both humbling and greatly satisfying.

A few observations, if I may.

We still have not been able to persuade the town budget makers of the importance of having both ASL and the CART interpreters at Town Meetings. The budget has been $4,000, while the cost to the town would be a maximum of about $7,200 IF both Town Meetings go three nights, but roughly $1200 less for each session that is only two nights. I have been told by many people that they derive great value out of having the CART system available.

We are all extremely happy that the DPW got the signs for the handicapped parking on main street before the summer traffic makes it more difficult for us to park.

The Commission is extremely indebted to Brian Dale and his crew, Rocky, Sean and the others, for their assistance, at the ballpark, at Depot Avenue, and the beautiful safety edge at the library.


I want to draw your attention, and the attention of the viewers to People, what’s out there to help with cooking, dressing, threading needles, using the computer, and so on. This is a terrific opportunity not just for people with disabilities, but for anyone who has trouble with everyday challenges.


We have suggested to Mr. Whritenour, and want to suggest to you, that there should be an ordinance requiring owners who re-stripe parking lots to obtain a permit. The money that they might pay, if any, would be far less than they would have to pay to re-stripe if they did it wrong. I specifically make reference to the Christmas Tree Shop, which had to re-stripe, and the two lots at the end of Queens Buyway, both of which were recently re-striped contrary to the requirements of the AAB and will have to be corrected. They have since been corrected.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to the list of problems we gave to Engineering and the Town Manager (I know they have marked the sidewalk going into Peg Noonan parking). I understand that the utilities are obligated to move poles that interfere with the sidewalk; the problem seems to be getting them to fulfill that obligation. It’s not just that people using wheelchairs or with visual challenges are impacted, the DPW can’t plow these sidewalks, which then creates dangers for both people with and without disabilities. Surely there must be some way to compel the utilities to get together and correct these problem poles. Some of them have since been removed.

Once again, thank you for the opportunity to address you, and for the ability to serve the people with disabilities in Falmouth.


Ernest Mayberry, Chair
Robert L. Parker, Vice-Chair
James Manning, Secretary
Frances Silverstein
Robin Manning
Brenda Thompson
Jane Perry
George Spivey, ADA Coordinator