M'burgh to Apply for Grant to Pay for Ramp for Village Hall

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - Facing costs of more than a quarter of a million dollars, village board members earlier this month agreed to apply for a grant to help pay for a handicap ramp at the village hall.

Last year, village officials rejected two bids for a ramp to make the historic village hall handicap accessible. The bids were about four times the estimated cost of the project. At that time, the bids were for $268,000 and $303,600, both of which far exceeded the project budget. The original estimates were $60,000 to $80,000.

At their August 4 meeting, village board members agreed to apply for a Community Development Block Grant totaling $332,500 to help pay for the handicap ramp project.

Mayor Tim Knight said this is the only funding source that could cover the cost for the entire project.

Resident Rich Vilegi said that when he was on the planning board, there was discussion that Stewart's would help pay for the ramp, but village board members did not recall.

Last summer, board members decided not to pursue a fall bid and agreed to pursue state grants instead.

Village officials are also seeking historic designation for the village hall which would help in getting grants.

Mayor Knight attended the NYCOM conference last year and heard about community renewal grants that are available.

The village has been using the community room of the library, which is handicap accessible, for meetings for several months.

The bids last year were to build a ramp, starting on Main Street and continuing onto the existing sidewalk beside Village Hall, to allow access through one of the building's side windows for handicapped persons, Mayor Knight noted.

Delaware Engineering, the village's engineering firm, estimated the project should've come in at $60,000 to $80,000.

The plans called for a concrete base to a wooden structure that would lead through a window on the side of the village hall. The specifications for the project call for Trex composite materials for the wooden section.

Several different options were considered.

Officials considered the possibility of putting a wheelchair lift where the front stairs into Village Hall currently are and building a side entrance ramp into the building, but after consulting a lift specialist, that location was ruled infeasible due to the front entryway’s dimensions, he said.

Then the village and engineers considered the possibility of installing either a wheelchair lift or ramp into the rear of Village Hall, but that ended up being the most expensive and least convenient option, the Mayor added, as that would require the village to remove a dumbwaiter from the rear hallway, make additional ADA compliant improvements, and eliminate two to three parking spots, which would negatively affect both the Village Hall and Kelley’s Grill.

In addition to those options, the village also reconsidered the possibility of either installing a wheelchair lift or ramp into a side entrance of the building. After a lot of research the engineers found this approach to be the most affordable and technically feasible option.

There are two factors to choose a ramp instead of a lift, the Mayor said.

The two factors are: a ramp allows for greater accessibility into Village Hall than a lift, since everyone would be able to utilize the entrance, and a ramp is likely to have fewer long-term maintenance issues than a lift, which will result in expensive service calls and eventual replacement when it deteriorates over time.