Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities Committee Minutes Zoom Remote Meeting Hosted in Tacoma, WA 98402 Friday, May 14, 2021 Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:03 p.m. Commissioners Present Luke Byram, Kristy Willet, James Williams, Krystal Monteros, Amin Tony Hester, Lukas Barfield, Anthony Caldwell, Richard Smaby, Todd Holloway, Dylan O’Catherine Commissioners Absent Aimee Sidhu and Rebecca Parson City Staff Present Lucas Smiraldo, Samantha Kaauamo, Shirley Schultz (CoT PDS), Gail Himes (CoT PDS) Guests Present Josh Jorgensen (Tacoma Housing Authority), Ivan Tudela (PCDEM), Julian Wheeler (Pierce County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee) Adoption of Agenda A motion was made by Commissioner Caldwell and seconded by Commissioner O’Catherine and carried to accept the COD meeting agenda of April 9, 2021. Acceptance of Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Caldwell and seconded by Commissioner Byram and carried to accept the COD meeting minutes of March 12, 2021. Public Comment None 1st Guest Presenter 1st Guest Presentation Reports Chair and Vice Chair Liaison Commissioner Reports PCAC Invitation for Community Input Good of the Order Adjournment Shirley Schultz of City of Tacoma’s Planning and Development Services Department (CoT) and Josh Jorgensen of Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) Schultz and Jorgensen shared project updates and general information around the James Center North Master Plan. Location is 1620 South Mildred, near Tacoma Community College (TCC). Community input was collected and still being received. Location has great opportunity for transit, open space, amenities, commercial use. Chair Monteros, Commissioners Williams, Hester, Byram and Smaby, asked questions and discussed various items including handicap retrofitted apartments, adding braille on apartment numbers outside of doors, noise and fire considerations for apartment walls, expansion of TCC, HUD and median income area housing, universal design and for disabilities, and consideration of accessible needs over abled bodies. Chair Monteros: Houston Safety Transportation Summit in June 2021invited as a guest speaker. At the end of May, attending Call to Action event around helping minority businesses. Vice Chair Byram: Continues to work with UW-Tacoma. Mr. Smiraldo: City of Destiny awards scheduled for June 26th and Commissioners Caldwell, Hester and O’Catherine will be recognized. Kristy Lynett from ESD would like to come to a commission meeting to talk about environmental topics. March meeting with Lt. Darlington: Very constructive and thoughtful conversation after a difficult first meeting. Lots of honesty, consideration and respect during the meeting. Commissioners Barfiled, Byram, Monteros, Hester shared thoughts on transforming the police department. Commissioner Williams shared mental health approach from TPD, the county and NAMI CoT and TPS: Commissioner O’Catherine has word of TPS approval of flyer. Accessible Taxi: A few more days until all signatures are complete. Extended deadline for December. Public Works reports: Himes and Commissioner Caldwell upcoming June ribbon cutting E 64th Pacific to McKinley. Street Improvements are almost complete and looking forward to the on-time completion of mid to late June. Wide bike path and pedestrian section right next to it. Separate curb ramps and crossings. Some community members express negative feelings due to right of way concerns with front yards. Commissioners Caldwell and Monterros as spokes persons. Julian Wheeler of the Pierce County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee shared July 13 at 9am next meeting. Meetings of March and May voted to support a letter of treatment of persons of disabilities at shelters. Group involved with a lot of state and federal initiatives and topics around disabilities. Ivan Tudela, Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Updates from Emergency Operations Center. 27.6% of population vaccinated. Lakewood and Tacoma locations as static vaccine sites. Language interpreters are provided at these locations. The Tacoma Dome hours are 12pm-8pm, findyourcovidshot.com and 253-312-3227 (Ivan) for any vaccination Commissioner location questions. Commissioner Byram would like more information on the vaccination site. He shared his experience with location and drive up addresses mix up. Tudela will bring this to the group for wayfinding improvements. There was also a discussion about the letter from Mr. Gerrit Nyland regarding the treatment of homeless populations during this pandemic. Commissioner Sidhu the inclusion of a land acknowledgement at the beginning of meetings. Request was posed to the group regarding topics for next meeting. Motion made by Commissioner Byram and seconded by Commissioner Hester to adjourn. Motion carried. The meeting ended at 6:06 p.m.