Canton park path plans point of contention
Jefferson Avenue Park in Canton Township may soon have an exercise path.
Plans for a paved path around Jefferson Avenue Park in Canton Township
Canton Township officials are hoping to construct a paved “exercise path” around the perimeter of Jefferson Avenue Park, but some say the plan doesn’t go far enough to accommodate all residents.
The difference in opinion comes down to a couple feet of asphalt. During a recent board of supervisors meeting, several residents complained that the proposed four-foot-wide path would not be wide enough to accommodate people in wheelchairs. Kathleen Kleinmann, chief executive officer of advocacy group TRIPIL, also attended the meeting as an observer but did not wish to comment.
“Whenever you do improvements to a project that is a public project, you have to make it usable to all citizens,” said Rick Zatta, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board.
Contractor bids are due in early July for the project, which also includes an expansion of the parking lot and drainage work. Zatta and residents complained they were left in the dark about changes to the plan, which originally called for a wider and longer path.
Zatta, who also is an architectural consultant specializing in handicap-accessibility projects, said the path should be at least six feet wide. The plan complies with one section of the Americans with Disabilities Act design manual that calls for five-foot-wide spaces, enabling wheelchair operators to turn around at various points along the path.
However, Zatta argued that it does not meet a more stringent ADA guideline calling for a space of about six feet to accommodate two people in wheelchairs. Otherwise, he said, the path is virtually inaccessible to more than one wheelchair user at a time.
Whether the project moves forward depends on the price tag, said board of supervisors Chairman Bob Franks. The project has been put out for bids a second time. Franks said the initial project would have cost more than $100,000.
Zatta contested that figure, arguing that the drainage work is driving up the price, but he said the path itself is less expensive. In order to cut costs, supervisors opted to change the path design from 1,200 feet long to 900 feet. The width was reduced from five feet to four feet.
Franks maintained that the proposed measurements of the trail would be “more than sufficient” for people in wheelchairs, and he said he supports the project as long as the price is “within reason.”
He said the township still has other costly projects to consider, including much-needed repairs to Malone Ridge Road, which suffered damage from heavy well site traffic.
“There’s nothing that says we have to put a walking trail down there,” Franks said. “We’re just trying to make the park a little bit nicer for the public.”
Keith Klink, who uses a wheelchair and lives just a few houses down from the park, thinks the path should be at least five feet wide to allow enough space for two wheelchair operators to pass each other.
“I really think we should do a little bit more than what the minimum is,” said Klink, who also is a board member of TRIPIL.
Deb Crouse, also a Canton resident, said she believes the township should set a positive example by spending the extra money to construct the path in a way that serves all residents.
“I think it should be for the entire community, not just for one person.”
Jefferson Avenue Park, also known as Wolfdale Park, encompasses less than two acres of land. Township officials also hope to extend the walking path to a handicap-accessible swing on the playground, a fairly new piece of equipment that has largely gone unused due to the lack of accessibility to the area.