Accessibility renovations will soon be underway in Clearview Township’s Council Chambers. At the Jan. 29 Clearview council meeting, the first to be held at the Stayner Community Centre’s North Hall during construction, council awarded the construction and technology tenders, with work set to begin in the coming weeks and conclude in late spring.
The construction tender was awarded to Creative Concepts Construction for $133,057.50. The technology tender was awarded to Music Pro Limited for $59,474.08.
A combination of Grants and the Accessibility Reserve will fund the renovations:
- Enabling Accessibility Fund Grant, $99,109
- Modernization Grant, $150,000
- Accessibility Reserve, $35,000
The renovations will update the Chambers to remove any accessibility barriers while also modernizing the space with technological and lighting updates. The updates will make the Chambers AODA compliant with the Ontario Building Code and Clearview’s Facility Accessibility Design Standards (FADS) document and will include:
- Placing the Council dais on floor level to remove the need for ramps.
- Moving the dais out from the outer wall to provide a minimum of 1100 mm turning radius and a maximum of 1300 mm.
- Separating staff desks from the larger dais to provide additional access to Council and staff seating.
- Placing the presenter podium in the centre of the room to allow for barrier-free access and to remove obstacles in the public seating section.
- Removing the bi-fold doors from the back portion of the Chambers to allow for the flow of a larger room space.
- Updating all the lighting to allow for better illumination for meeting purposes.
- Replacing the main entrance doors to the Chambers with a barrier-free accessible door with a push button.
- Adding built-in storage for additional tables so they are not impeding the path of travel.
During construction, the public is welcome to attend Council Meetings in person in the North Hall of the Stayner Community Centre. Upgrades have been made to allow live streaming on YouTube for those who prefer to watch online. Please bear with us should technical difficulties arise under this new setup.