Some Oro Valley residents have taken to social media to voice their concerns about a lack of progress on an approved $1.7 million project to bring needed upgrades to the Oro Valley Community Center.
On March 1st, the Oro Valley City Council unanimously approved a motion introduced by Vice-Mayor Melanie Barrett. The motion called for the addition of a full elevator and a lowered entrance.
However, in a Facebook post dated September 12, one user initiated a discussion about why these promised improvements have not been implemented more than six months later.
Paul Keesler, the town's Engineer and Director of Public Works, addressed the concerns, stating, "You have to design these things."
Some residents under the post claimed that without the elevator, the building is not ADA-compliant.
Keesler denied the claim explaining that each level of the building is accessible through ramps. He said, "Technically, yes, we have an ADA path to the second floor, and we've had that since we first acquired the building."
According to the ADA, buildings with less than three stories, are not required to have an elevator. The community center has two floors designated for the public.
The estimated cost of the project is $1.75 million, with $1.5 million allocated in the budget, and the remaining amount to come from a $1 million fund designated for the existing Community Center.
"Once the money was allocated then we started the design. The design was completed just a bit ago and we’re going through that permitting process," Keesler said. "The elevator will make a much better user experience."
He says they are currently in the permitting stage, with the solicitation of contractors next in the pipeline.
