Wheelchair Ramp
by
Unbelievably, there is a shopping center in Murfreesboro, located on a major street that has no handicapped parking and no wheelchair ramps.
The owner of the strip mall lives in Ohio.
By phone, the woman tells me that the Murfreesboro property was developed in 1969 and 40 years ago, issues of wheelchair accessibility were not a primary concern.
To get from the parking lot into the stores, you have to step up a three-inch high curb.
If you walk, this is ridiculously easy. If you are in a wheel chair this is ridiculously hard.
Arlesia Hill lives in Murfreesboro. She has multiple sclerosis and uses motorized wheelchair to get around.
When she wants to get her nails done at the salon in the shopping center, she cannot get into the store because there is no ramp.
Ms. Hill tells me that once her 16-year-old daughter helped lift her motorized chair onto the sidewalk so she could patronize the salon.
Recently, she said she needed to get into the loan store and could not.
She said she tried to garner speed and jump the curb but instead crashed into the door, almost falling over and scaring herself to death.
Hill tells me that she ultimately conducted a cash transaction in the parking lot, while several people watched.
She says she was put in the very uncomfortable situation all because there is no ramp.
I checked with the Murfreesboro Codes Department.
An official there tells me that the building was built before codes regulated and mandated ADA issues.
He said the department does not make owners bring older buildings up to current codes unless it is an extreme life safety issue or the structure is substandard.
“We don’t go around and do property inspections for compliance, not for building and codes,” the official said.
Dylan Brown works for the Center for Independent Living.
He said while it might not be mandated for building 40 years old, installing ramps is the right thing to do and it would be easy to do at the location.
“These are small accommodations that could be met,” he said. “We’re talking several inches. That is all we are lacking to get an accessible ramp in here. With our organization, we have a program, to help and survey accessible buildings and make changes to meet ADA standards. There are tax credits and exemptions given to businesses to create a small ramp. It would be easy to do.”
The shopping center owner is a pleasant woman.
Over the phone she tells me the Murfreesboro Codes Department never mentioned it and since she lives out of state, she “didn’t really think about it.”
Once I told her about Ms. Hill, the owner said she was going to instruct her construction crew to fix the problem.
If only all property owners tackled issues with such alacrity, there would be very few Messed Up stories to cover.
who cares. the should set out some plywood or something…