Attorney Says Work to Graydon Must Meet ADA Standards

The village must legally ensure any work it does to meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, Village Attorney Matt Rogers told the council last week.

"The village is required to provide access unless it can be shown that it would be an undue financial burden," Rogers told the council last Wednesday. "By the end of January 2013, we are to have required access or certainly have a plan in place to provide access at Graydon Pool."

However, demonstrating financial hardship would not be easy, even if the village is only adding a single point of access into the pool, Rogers said. The village would have to provide considerable documentation to the ADA and the U.S. Attorney's office to meet the standards, he said.

Prelminary plans are in place to construct a new ramp extending into the water at the municipal pool, financed mostly by a Community Development Block Grant.

Grassroots group Preserve Graydon Coalition (PGC) to construct a new ramp, saying adding more concrete in a flood plain wasn't a great idea.

PGC has instead lobbied for officials to work on improving existing ramps while also .

Officials will be discussing the accessibility status in the months to come.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Kleimann at James.Kleimann@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.