Poor access to fishing areas.

[plumbertom]

'I'm curious as to why, in such a supposedly progressive city as Eugene, that the vast majority of Alton Baker park is kept inaccessible to those of us with limited mobility. As it happens, I am 72 years of age, and my old joints don't allow me to walk much more than a couple of hundred feet without the need to rest. I enjoy fishing in the canoe canal at the west end of the park, but I'd like to fish the pond as well as the slough area. Unfortunately, the walking distance puts it beyond my ability. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. There should be ADA parking areas that are available to those who qualify for disabled access.'

 

[Casting Call]

This old 77yer wonder where fee's go? Tony

 

[GaryP1958]

" my old joints don't allow me to walk much more than a couple of hundred feet without the need to rest." There lies the problem I am 65 and I get tired too. When I was 19 I was Mailman USPS could walk 12 miles carrying a heavy sack of mail in 105F heat never out of breath. I dont expect society to build things for me now I just try to adjust!

 

[SparkyofSoCal]

Maybe progressive government and societies are not everything they are cracked up to be.

 

[Casting Call]

Gary it's called disability. Are you saying do away `with ADA? Tony

 

[plumbertom]

" my old joints don't allow me to walk much more than a couple of hundred feet without the need to rest." There lies the problem I am 65 and I get tired too. When I was 19 I was Mailman USPS could walk 12 miles carrying a heavy sack of mail in 105F heat never out of breath. I dont expect society to build things for me now I just try to adjust!

Yeah, I try to adjust also. But most of my adjustment consists of just staying home.
I used to be able to walk a lot also, maybe not mailman level, but a lot of my transportation when younger consisted of riding Shank's mare.
But I was in an accident a number of years back that drove my femur through my pelvis (as well as fracturing my spine) and required a bunch of metal to rebuild my pelvis and eventually a special made hip joint replacement, even so, I'm very weak on my left side, and it pains me to walk long distances.

 

[plumbertom]

For those interested, here is the non-response response I received;

Thanks for reaching out!

The short answer is that Alton Baker Park is a very old park and was developed at a time well before the ADA and ease of mobility was considered in park design. And we agree, there are a lot of barriers to easy access throughout the park. We also consider this an equity issue and are committed to developing plans and funding to address these issues system-wide.

As such, we’re embarking upon a new ADA Access inventory and subsequent transition plan to be completed by about this time next year. We will be working to catalog all of the areas where we’re not meeting accessibility needs and requirements, and then developing project plans to remedy these situations over time.

In the meantime, our planning team will talk to the operations team to see what can be done regarding ADA parking in the lot north of Day Island Road. We'll take a look at what’s there and if we could improve the situation for shorter walks to the ponds and canal.

If you would like to follow-up, reach out to our planning department at posplanning@eugene-or.gov.

Please let us know if you have any more questions or if anything needs to be clarified.

Regards

City of Eugene

 

[Spoonplugger1]

Ol' Sparky there, makes an interesting point, I judge people by their word. Which party in states still don't have people on the Affordable Care Act? They also have the least upkept infrastructure and upgraded facilities, highest crime, etc. If you want something, you need to get others behind you and let the powers that be know, no one can have their eyes on everything, nor does everyone value the same thing at the same time. Lastly, taken a peek at the cost of roads per mile lately, does it need a restroom also, trash can and someone to service it, need a dock or other facilities for someone worse off than you? Where is the money coming from, do priorities need to be shifted a might? You'll never know if you don't talk to your government.

 

[plumbertom]

Ol' Sparky there, makes an interesting point, I judge people by their word. Which party in states still don't have people on the Affordable Care Act? They also have the least upkept infrastructure and upgraded facilities, highest crime, etc. If you want something, you need to get others behind you and let the powers that be know, no one can have their eyes on everything, nor does everyone value the same thing at the same time. Lastly, taken a peek at the cost of roads per mile lately, does it need a restroom also, trash can and someone to service it, need a dock or other facilities for someone worse off than you? Where is the money coming from, do priorities need to be shifted a might? You'll never know if you don't talk to your government.

Okay, but here's a little backfill.
The roads that would allow access are already in place (just gated of with authorized vehicle only signs), along with restrooms.
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in place for more than 30 years. Alton Baker does have ADA compliant parking in the existing lots, and all restrooms and trails are wheelchair compliant. They even claim there are benches arranged every so often along the trails for those who have difficulty walking any distance (my experience is they are way too far apart, and even so, trying to walk from parking to the pond would take me an hour).

 

[Snopro]

Ol' Sparky there, makes an interesting point, I judge people by their word. Which party in states still don't have people on the Affordable Care Act?

All states are covered by the ACA. Are you thinking of the Medicaid expansion? If so Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are the droids you're looking for. You're right, it does appear they have common political elements.

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in place for more than 30 years. Alton Baker does have ADA compliant parking in the existing lots, and all restrooms and trails are wheelchair compliant. They even claim there are benches arranged every so often along the trails for those who have difficulty walking any distance (my experience is they are way too far apart, and even so, trying to walk from parking to the pond would take me an hour).

What are the criteria to determine if a location needs to be ADA compliant?

I thought the city gave you a strong response and definitely more than a "non-response". Keep communicating with them. They seem open to ideas and solving problems.

 

[SparkyofSoCal]

The city did the easy part, they talked about. Talk is always standard first response from government, hoping it just ends there and they can call it done.

 

[WHERES THE FISH]

I am feed up with how the local government PISSES the money away. At Blue Lake they tore up asphalt trail to put in Grass. At Salish Pond they spent a lot of money in Beaufication and little on ACCESS. Then planted Red willow to over grow the Fishing holes. Hey any buddy got a BEAVER they could loan us. This year Portland s BROOD trout were placed in BLue Lake that is closed til Spring. Plenty of money HERE-- just not spent WISELY. Would be happy to come on board to help the situation. WHERESTHEFISH

 

[WHERES THE FISH]

For those interested, here is the non-response response I received;

Thanks for reaching out!

The short answer is that Alton Baker Park is a very old park and was developed at a time well before the ADA and ease of mobility was considered in park design. And we agree, there are a lot of barriers to easy access throughout the park. We also consider this an equity issue and are committed to developing plans and funding to address these issues system-wide.

As such, we’re embarking upon a new ADA Access inventory and subsequent transition plan to be completed by about this time next year. We will be working to catalog all of the areas where we’re not meeting accessibility needs and requirements, and then developing project plans to remedy these situations over time.

In the meantime, our planning team will talk to the operations team to see what can be done regarding ADA parking in the lot north of Day Island Road. We'll take a look at what’s there and if we could improve the situation for shorter walks to the ponds and canal.

If you would like to follow-up, reach out to our planning department at posplanning@eugene-or.gov.

Please let us know if you have any more questions or if anything needs to be clarified.

Regards

City of Eugene

ACCESS INVENTORY-------TRANSITION PLAN Sounds like governmental double speak. We need that money for BIKE LANES NOBODY USES INSTEAD OF FIXING POTHOLES. TEARING out asphalt handicap trails to plant grass. More asistant to the assisiant-to the asistant-to the asistant positions to spend that money. What happened to COMMON SENCE

 

[plumbertom]

Update, or not.
I went to parks and open spaces office today.
I purchased an ADA vehicle access permit for $10.
The disabled have to pay extra in Eugene to use public parks, apparently.
It allows limited access with a vehicle to a couple of hundred yards of bank right by the parking lot nearest the bridge at Day Island Rd. entry to the park. No place else is it good for.6
I spoke with one of the park supervisors and was told that a new use plan is underway.
I pointed out that having a couple of hundred yards of out of 1-1/2 miles of the canal hardly meets the federal ADA requirement of making the required reasonable effort to make all public places accessible to the disabled.
I was told that there is a very vocal cadre of elitists that insist the park be kept as an open spaces preserve, and they fight any attempt to allow vehicle access to the majority of the park.
My guess is, they either don't understand, that public parks are for everyone, not just the physically able, or more likely just don't care.
At any rate, I made my view known and was given a handshake and verbal support. Now we'll see if it was anything other than the standard "Okey-dokey".

 

[GaryP1958]

Update, or not.
I went to parks and open spaces office today.
I purchased an ADA vehicle access permit for $10.
The disabled have to pay extra in Eugene to use public parks, apparently.
It allows limited access with a vehicle to a couple of hundred yards of bank right by the parking lot nearest the bridge at Day Island Rd. entry to the park. No place else is it good for.6
I spoke with one of the park supervisors and was told that a new use plan is underway.
I pointed out that having a couple of hundred yards of out of 1-1/2 miles of the canal hardly meets the federal ADA requirement of making the required reasonable effort to make all public places accessible to the disabled.
I was told that there is a very vocal cadre of elitists that insist the park be kept as an open spaces preserve, and they fight any attempt to allow vehicle access to the majority of the park.
My guess is, they either don't understand, that public parks are for everyone, not just the physically able, or more likely just don't care.
At any rate, I made my view known and was given a handshake and verbal support. Now we'll see if it was anything other than the standard "Okey-dokey".

Sue the hell out of them I hate Eugene!