Exterior ADA Upgrades / Interior ADA Upgrades
The City of Tacoma is in the process of upgrading city-owned facilities to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA establishes accessibility requirements for State and local government facilities, places of public accommodation, and commercial facilities. In 2006, the City hired Endelman & Associates PLLC to do an in-depth survey of city-owned facilities. The purpose of the survey was to identify physical barriers to City program accessibility. The ADA Master Survey Report prepared by Endelman & Associates identified preliminary solutions for physical facility modifications to remove accessibility barriers. The report addressed ADA compliance issues in buildings completed prior to and after the ADA took effect.
The City convened an ADA Workgroup to review the ADA Master Survey Report and to draft the June 2008 Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan. The ADA Work group prioritized barrier removal by facility based on the volume and frequency of public use, concentration of elderly and users with disabilities, and the likely future lifespan of each facility. The Facility Transition Plan contains a Prioritized List of City Facilities Requiring Modification. These modifications address ADA compliance issues in buildings completed prior to the ADA taking effect. Compliance issues in buildings completed after the ADA took effect have been addressed separately by the City.
Starting in 2009, the City is implementing a four-year program to design and construct the internal and external upgrades necessary to bring approximately 60 City-owned facilities into compliance with current ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG, 2002).
Tentative Facility ADA Upgrade Project Schedule (pdf)
Program Status
- Table 1: Progress on the City's proposed internal building upgrades
- Table 2: Progress on the City's proposed external building (site) upgrades
AustinCina Architects has been contracted to provide building design services for the internal upgrades, and AHBL Inc. has been retained to design the external accessibility upgrades at the facilities. BPCI Construction, Inc. is under contract to construct the interior upgrades. The construction of exterior upgrades will be procured through the City’s standard bid and award process.
In addition to the upgrades at City-owned buildings, the Public Works Department has been constructing ADA compliant curb ramps throughout the City. In 2009, the City constructed 517 ADA compliant curb ramps. Additional curb ramps were constructed by Tacoma Public Utilities and private developers.
1. Moore Library (pdf)
2. Anna Lemon Wheelock Library (pdf)
3. Main Library (pdf)
4. Tacoma Learning Center (pdf)
5. Point Defiance/Ruston Senior Center (pdf)
6. Lighthouse Senior Center (pdf)
7. TACID (pdf)
8. People's Center (pdf)
1. Moore Library (pdf)
2. Anna Lemon Wheelock Library (pdf)
3. Main Library (pdf)
4. Tacoma Learning Center (pdf)
5. Point Defiance/Ruston Senior Center (pdf)
6. Lighthouse Senior Center (pdf)
7. TACID (pdf)
Helpful Links
For more information about this program, please contact Mark D’Andrea, Project Manager at 253-591-5518 (mdandrea@cityoftacoma.org) or Gail Himes, City ADA Coordinator at 253-591-5785, TTY711, (ghimes@cityoftacoma.org).
E-mail contact for this Web site: karrie.spitzer@cityoftacoma.org 