The Town of Winthrop is excited to announce the official opening of the handicapped accessible walkway for the Winthrop Public Library. On Thursday morning, August 20th the Winthrop Commission on Disabilities (COD) joined the town administration in a ribbon cutting of the new walkway which was funded by a $225,000 Municipal ADA Improvement Grant through the Massachusetts Office on Disability.
Tony Marino, Town Manager, “Projects like this go a long way to making sure our library is accessible and community resources are available to all Winthrop residents. We appreciate the state’s support for this.”
The grant has been a yearlong process, starting with building an interior access ramp in the Winthrop Library’s Children’s Room that was completed last December. Planning for the new exterior ramp/walkway began in January. To comply with federal regulation, the engineer designed a square detour to accommodate the elevation. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that for every one inch of vertical rise, the ramp must have a minimum of twelve inches of horizontal run.
Greg McClay, Library Director, “We get several hundred visitors every day. It is going to make an enormous difference, not just for patrons with disabilities but families with small children in strollers, and elderly patrons with walkers.”
The Municipal ADA Improvement Grant also funded repairs and maintenance to the Library’s elevator.
The Commission on Disabilities looks forward to future projects in the community. Karla Murphy, Commission Chair, “The Winthrop Commission on Disabilities is committed to making our town a friendly and accessible place for everyone! The library is just one great example of how we can work together to ensure our beautiful town is inclusive and enjoyable for all. We invite other commissions and departments to reach out to the WCOD so we can team up on projects that help remove barriers and create a welcoming environment for everyone.”