(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Town-wide accessibility audit an “eye-opener,” says Coaldale mayor

Jan 26, 2022 | 11:18 AM

COALDALE, AB – A town-wide accessibility audit for Coaldale has been completed.

Town council got to review the results of the investigation as the full report was shown off during Monday’s meeting.

Melanie Messier, Planner at the Town of Coaldale, said it looked into how accessible public areas in the community are, including streets, pathways, and public buildings.

Work was done by the citizen-led working group called Access Coaldale. Member Christine Scott adds that this will go a long way in identifying future projects that would make more spaces accessible to people of all abilities.

“Completing the audit is a significant milestone for Access Coaldale as it has allowed us to appropriately and thoroughly assess the state of Coaldale’s public spaces. The improvements we’ve suggested as a result of the audit will not only help people with disabilities, they can also help many other demographics such as seniors and caregivers or parents with young children.”

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At least a couple of recommendations were made for each of the areas that were analyzed, ranging from small tweaks to help smooth things out to glaring design flaws that should be addressed sooner rather than later.

One thing that stood out was the fact that the spectator stands at the Coaldale Arena are only accessible to those who can climb stairs. People in wheelchairs would be forced to watch games from outside of the ice rink area.

It also identified many problem areas at the Coaldale Outdoor Pool from an accessibility standpoint, being one of the community’s oldest public facilities.

“There are complex issues that need to be addressed to make it more accessible. Solving one issue may not improve accessibility if there are many others not upgraded/modified,” reads the section of the audit on the pool.

Concerns were raised regarding the width of the sidewalks near the Highway 3/845 intersection, although the report’s authors note that it would require a significant amount of funding and planning to adequately address this.

Other facilities such as the Gem of the West Museum, Coaldale Community Centre, Coaldale Curling Rink, Coaldale Public Library, and Coaldale Handi-Ride locations were also investigated.

Mayor Jack Van Rijn said he did not realize how many things in the community could use improvement.

“It’s a real eye-opener to see the simple things that are often overlooked that prevent all members of our population from having barrier-free access to our community. Council looks forward to engaging with the working group to figure out what the next steps are for addressing these barriers and working to make Coaldale more accessible for people of all abilities.”

The completion of the report is the first of many steps in making Coaldale a more accessible town.

Council and planners will now work on how best to address the recommendations.

You can read the full report on the regular council meeting agenda for January 24, 2022. The section on the 2021 Accessibility Audit is on pages 16-94.