Martins Ferry councilman Jack Regis Sr. is working to come up with an idea to fix a problem he and many members of council before him have noticed at the city building.
That problem is the lack of accessibility to the building itself and, in particular, to council chambers on the upper floor.
At present, there is no elevator located within the city building and, given its current layout, the prospects of finding a suitable place for one are difficult, and two, certainly not cheap. The city in the past has looked to livestream its meetings as a way to offset the inability of people to attend, both for those with accessibility issues and for others who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend.
They’ve also tried to hold meetings at different locations, the recreation center for one, and one of the city’s fire stations for another. Both of those were accessible, but during council meetings at those locations, when certain information was needed, someone would need to head back to the city building to retrieve it.
Regis knows it’s a problem, as do his fellow current and past members of council.
The fun part will be how it gets rectified.
“It’s been frustrating because we know people want to come out to the meetings,” Regis said. “We’ve tried moving it to the rec center, and had some at the fire station right on the ground level, and it worked out for a little bit. But then you need information and you don’t have it because it’s clear back at the city building.
“Everybody on council is aware of it and we want to try to do something. But every time we look at the cost, it just kind of slows everything down.”
Ideal Room, Just Not Ideally Situated
The city building poses a picturesque structure situated on the corners of South 5th and Walnut Streets.
But handicap-friendly it is not. From the curb, there are three steps up, followed by another five, just to get into the building. The mayor’s office, water department, and police station all are on the main floor. Then, up the staircase to the right, on the second floor, is Council Chambers.
It’s a room uniquely situated and ideal for council meetings. There are rows of benches for attendees to sit on and a podium for those in attendance to ask questions of the council members and city leaders situated in the front of the space.
But again, accessible it is not.
Regis is hoping that funding related to the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance might be available to offset the inevitable costs.
“To get this done,” he said, “we’ll have to let everywhere we can.”
Possible Options
Regis did note that during the recent Belmont County Commissioner’s race, he made a stop in Barnesville.
That is where, inside the municipal building, the village installed a smaller elevator that allowed for accessibility.
Might this be a possibility somehow at the Ferry city building?
A limited use/limited application (LULA) elevator could be a possibility. These are generally smaller and slower than your typical elevator. They aren’t designed for thousands of pounds of personage with each car load. But, they are big enough that someone in a wheelchair could access the floors above.
“I like what they did out there in Barnesville,” Regis said. “Maybe we could go into our garage and put in an elevator down there with a special door and have it go up.
“The one in Barnesville is a little smaller than the one at the courthouse. It’s probably big enough for 2-3 people, but you can get a wheelchair in and turn it around.”
The garage below the city building in Martins Ferry might have enough room for just such an elevator.
The trick is finding the right spot, with available space on the few floors above.
“I’m trying to visualize in that garage, where can we get this done? It’s not a shot in the dark. We need a plan because I want to see this get done,” Regis said. “It may take some engineering studies, but I’m hoping if we get it, and get some figures, we could get some help, even a matching grant would help.”
