Attempt to engage Somerville, MA Federally-funded Union Square Main Streets ("USMS") program to enable accessibility at this event. USMS Director politely thanked me- but declined to change the venue to an accessible facility.

1. From: Community Access project <CAPSom@verizon.net>
Date: January 14, 2011 2:39:19 PM EST
To: Union Square Main Streets <mimi@unionsquaremain.org>
Subject: Somerville City Club not wicked accessible
January 14, 2011
Hi Mimi,
Happy New Year!
I love your idea for making winter sculptures in Union Square tomorrow- how cool.
I want to point out that if the Wicked Trivia contest is going to be held at the Somerville City Club again, there are structural barriers at that
site that appear to be readily removable.
Since the City Club rents this place out, they have barrier removal requirements under ADA Title III; but, more importantly, since USMS is
Federally funded, this event will not be considered a nondiscriminatory event unless these issues are mitigated.
1. !Parking and exterior Accessible Route issues:
There should be a continuous accessible route from the HP spot to the door. !Here, the HP parking spot user must travel out of the parking
lot on the right of the facility, and get onto a motorist's road with no sidewalk, in order to reach the foot of the ramp, located in the non-level
left lot area, which is apparently used for service deliveries. Otherwise, if the HP-spot user attempts to get to the door from the HP spot,
they'll find a set of steps
2. !Entrance issues:
a. !There is a 2 inch step at the foot of the ramp. !There shouldn't be more than a half-inch, beveled transition area between the ramp and the
ground, but here it's 2 inches!
b. !The ramp itself has a cross-slope up to 8.1%, measured at the top. !That means that the chairs will wobble from side to side, all the way
up or down the ramp. !This is incredibly unsafe. !Current Federal and State code says cross-slopes shouldn't exceed 2%.
So...
If USMS cannot encourage the Club to mitigate these issues, would you please take a stand for Access and Equality- and change the event's
location to an accessible facility?
Thank you very much.
All the best,
Eileen Feldman, Union Square resident,
Director, Community Access Project of Somerville
and Founder, Arts Reaching Through Society
---
notes not included in this email, but will be made available if requested:
ADA Title III link: http://www.ada.gov/racheck.pdf
SOMERVILLE CITY CLUB PHOTO DOCUMENTATION:
above: City Club HP spots lead to right sided path; path does not lead to ramp, but instead, leads to stairs, pictured above.

2. above: Somerville City Club ramp leads to pooling and ice accumulation area on left side of facility.
above: the foot of the Somerville City Club ramp has a 2 inch threshold!

3. above: The Somerville City Club ramp has excessive cross-slopes from top to bottom.
This ramp is a deal breaker- Very unsafe.
The ramp was very badly constructed; and whoever inspected it didn't have a clue about what to look for.
above: the Somerville City Club ramp has an 8.1% cross-slope at top!
above: The Somerville City Club ramp begins with an excessive 8.7% cross slope (should not exceed 2% throughout)