Residents call for handicap improvements in Palmer

EOWYN LeMAY IVEY-Frontiersman reporter

PALMER -- When Jessie DeVries leaves the hallways of the Pioneer Home and rolls her wheelchair on to the sidewalks and streets of Palmer, she doesn't always find a smooth ride.

In some places, the sidewalks are so cracked and crumbly she is forced to wheel out into the street. There, she often finds gravel and uneven surfaces that make it no easier. For an independent woman like DeVries, who enjoys wheeling herself to her church, library and nearby activities around town, these obstacles are particularly irksome.

"As you can see, I am handicapped," DeVries told the Palmer City Council as she sat in her wheelchair at the microphone. She then went on to say that she has lived in the Palmer area for many years but only relatively recently has been confined to a wheelchair. From this new perspective she has discovered that the city sidewalks and streets are not as well kept as perhaps they should be.

"Some of the places I have to get to, it's very hazardous," DeVries told the Palmer City Council last week. "The sidewalks are broken down into gravel."

In a town that prides itself on being friendly to both pedestrians and the elderly, this is a serious complaint. And as DeVries pointed out to the city council, Palmer could soon receive more of these complaints if nothing is done.

"I know I'm not the only one … more and more we have an elderly population," she said.

In addition to the sidewalks and streets, DeVries said she also has difficulty navigating across the railroad tracks in town. She described a particularly frightening day when she tried to cross them.

"I almost tipped over," the elderly woman said.

When DeVries asked the council whose responsibility these issues were, Mayor Jim Cooper admitted, "It's primarily ours."

Councilman Tony Pippel pointed out that the city has taken on many road projects in recent years that include the addition of sidewalks.

These very same construction projects have also made it difficult for people like DeVries, and even ambulatory and driving residents, to get around town. But DeVries said these places where the roads and sidewalks are torn up don't bother her as much, even though they directly impact her ability to get to her church.

"But I understand those are temporary," DeVries said. "At least I hope it's only temporary."

As for the deteriorating conditions of other, older sidewalks and streets, DeVries suggested the council consider an automatic schedule that would include a regular rotation of fixing certain sections around town so that they weren't allowed to decline over the years.

Pippel also requested that DeVries make a list of places that have been particularly troublesome for her, pointing out that sometimes the city simply isn't aware of specific locations.

"But it is something we're consciously aware of," Pippel said. "We hear complaints from walkers, bikers … everybody."

DeVries also expressed concern about the handicap access into businesses, city hall and other buildings around town. She said often the doorways aren't wide enough, almost never have handicap automatic opening and are sometimes impossible to navigate without the aid of another person.

"If I didn't have someone pushing me and opening the doors for me, I don't know if I could have made it in here," she told the council.

The council explained that handicap access laws dictate that new buildings must meet updated codes while older buildings must be brought up to the standards if they undergo a major renovation.