By Journal Staff
The Revere Commission on Disabilities (COD) held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 10, via Zoom. On hand for the session were chair Ralph DeCicco, vice-chair Pauline Perno, Jason Barone-Cichocki, Mario Grimanis, and Annmarie Fiore.
The highlight of the meeting was the confirmation by DeCicco that the Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has issued the permit for the Second Annual All-Abilities Day at Revere Beach for Saturday, August 9, from 10-2 at the Oak Island Bathhouse, 462 Revere Beach Blvd., Entrance No. 36.
The first 100 people to register will receive a free lunch. Registration is available online through August 5 via community pass on Revererec.org.
Accessible sand mats and swim chairs will be available. There will be music with a DJ. The event is being made possible by a grant from Save the Harbors/Save the Bay for which DeCicco submitted an application last winter. Revere Park and Rec. will be an active participant in the festivities.
“We’re looking forward to this being a great event for the City of Revere and we’re looking to expand it every year,” said DeCicco.
The guest speaker for the meeting was Robert Dunn, a Revere native who grew up in the Shirley Ave. neighborhood, who is the Program Coordinator and Equipment Manager for Waypoint Adventure. Dunn, a former special education teacher, noted that he is the nephew of noted local Attorney Harry Pass and grandson of the legendary attorney Lenny Pass, who was instrumental in having the elevator placed into Revere City Hall to make the building accessible.
Dunn said that Waypoint Adventure seeks to make the outdoors accessible to individuals of all abilities, through a variety of programs in partnership with the DCR and others. These programs include both outdoor and indoor kayaking with a fleet of adaptive boats; hiking and backpacking throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including overnight camping; cross-country skiing and snowshoeing; outdoor and indoor rock climbing; tandem and recumbent cycling, including adaptive mountain biking; ropes courses in trees; and team building activities.
“Learning through experience is a big part of what we do,” said Dunn, who noted that the program’s goal is to bring individuals out of their “comfort zone” into a “challenge zone” in order to accomplish new and difficult things. He added that thanks to partners and sponsors, the cost of most programs is in the range of $20.
Wayfair utilizes DCR properties, properties managed by the Trustees of Reservations, federal lands, and local government properties (such as Lynn Woods) among the outdoor places for its programs. Dunn also noted that volunteers are a big part of the program.
Waypoint will be assisting the DCR at the COD’s upcoming All-Abilities Day at Revere Beach that is scheduled for Saturday, August 9, which will include specialized equipment, including chairs for accessing the beach over the sand and into the water.
“Your assistance will be of tremendous benefit to making this day a success,” said DeCicco.
“Thank you for joining us and thank you for the work you do,” added Fiore.
Fiore briefly provided an update regarding the Music Therapy Program that will be a joint /collaboration with the Revere Parks and Recreation Department. She reported that the program should be underway shortly.
DeCicco reported on the monthly meeting of the Commissions on Disabilities Alliance (CODA) which he attended on June 4:
— The Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) mentioned that their research department is working on two projects for which they are looking for participants. They are looking for people in the Springfield area with disabilities who are Spanish-speaking for the first project. For the second project, they are seeking disabled participants who have a PCA for a task force. For more information, please contact DPC directly at DPC (617) 307-7775.
— DPC also mentioned that they would be having a legislative briefing in person at the State House regarding the wheelchair reform bills on Tuesday morning, June 11th.
— Newburyport COD mentioned that they are trying to purchase two adaptive 3-wheel bikes for the Ride Share Bike program run by their municipality.
— Boston COD mentioned that they will be having an ADA 35 Celebration on Wednesday, July 23. This will be a march and rally. For more information be go to: www.boston.gov/ADA35
The Revere COD was notified by the Mass. Architectural Access Board (MAAB) regarding an application for a variance from Washington Sherman LLC, for its project at West One, 810 Washington Avenue. This project is a new construction, 4-story, 30-unit residential rental building that includes a residential lobby, bike parking, residential storage, and a parking garage on the ground floor for 36 vehicles.
According to the developer’s application, “We are requesting a variance from the requirements of 521 CMR Section 44.6.1(a), which requires the rim of a bathtub in Group 2 dwelling units to be between 16 and 18 inches above the finish floor. In (2) of our Group 2 units, the installed bathtub rim measures 18.75 inches above the finished floor, exceeding the upper limit by 3?4 inch. While this does not meet the strict dimensional criteria of 521 CMR, the deviation is minimal and does not present a measurable barrier to use or access.”
“This notification to us from the MAAB has to do with code violations for access for disabilities for which the developer will be going before the Architectural Access Board,” said DeCicco. “I don’t see any reason why we would want to be against this. It’s a minimal difference of just 3/4 of an inch.”
DeCicco also brought up another variance request that pertained to the proposed new building at 141-143 Endicott Ave, which will be a 6-unit residential condo building with parking underneath. The conflict with the access law pertains to the developer’s proposal to install a platform lift, as opposed to an elevator, from the garage to the two first-floor units, which are designated as Group 1 units. DeCicco noted that lifts are not as reliable as elevators and will require a 24-hour service to be on-call in the event the lift gets stuck.
DeCicco also took the opportunity to give a shout-out to the Parks and Rec. Dept. for its two recent events, an all-abilities softball game and a Sensory Adventures event, both of which were highly-successful.
Perno read the monthly reminder:
“The Commission on Disabilities office number is 781-286-8267. Residents can also call Revere 311 directly and speak to their staff Monday through Friday. They will answer most questions, but if they are unable to assist you or if you prefer to talk with the Commission directly, please ask to be transferred to the Disability Office. Please leave a detailed message, and we will respond to you shortly.
“As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like something discussed or added to our monthly meeting agenda. You can also let us know if you want to discuss any concerns. The Commission is here to help and assist all disabled residents and their families in Revere.”
Per the COD’s usual practice, there will be no July meeting. The next meeting (via Zoom) will be held on Tuesday, August 12, at 6 p.m.
