City of Powell River Creates Opportunity for More Residents to be Involved in City Hall
A hallmark of a city government is the ability for all to participate and engage with their community. The Powell River City Hall is housed in a building that was erected in 1957, and stairs are a necessity to access the main council chamber. To make participation universal for those who live in the city, providing an accessible way into council chambers was a priority for the City of Powell River.
People over the age of 65 make up 35% of the city of Powell River’s population, and being able to attend council meetings is a priority for some, many of whom have been participating in civic activities for most of their adult lives. This is why, when presented the opportunity to receive funding from a Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) BC Accessibility Grant, the City knew it would begin to remove accessibility barriers in City Hall, allowing people like Ann Nelson, a local resident of Powell River, the ability to continue engaging with the City and participating in all aspects of civic life.
“After 35 plus years of community advocacy and government ‘watching’, my dwindling ability to manage the stairs to council chambers and the committee meeting room in their original location at the MacGregor Building severely impacted my participation in the local advisory committees on which I served, as well as my attendance at council meetings,” Nelson, said of the building.
One of the major upgrades completed by the City was moving the council chamber to the main floor of the building. This made use of a vacant space that was formerly the public library. The library had already moved to its new space, providing a great opportunity to repurpose the space and create accessible chambers. Russel Brewer, Chief Administrative Officer at the City of Powell River stated that relocating the chambers “has been an action item in Council’s strategic plan for some time,” which was made possible because of the grant funding.
Further, the City of Powell River created a brand-new accessible washroom, including power-operated doors, grab bars, and a change area. There were also some additional upgrades including switching out door handles from knobs to lever-style, which helps people with limited dexterity, and adding power-operated doors and kickplates.
Since the introduction of the upgrades, Brewer remarked that there has been “resoundingly positive” feedback and that the City garners a lot of the feedback in council chambers, before and after meetings.
Brewer added that there are plans to continue pursuing accessibility upgrades at City Hall, including creating elevator access to the third floor and increased washroom upgrades. Pukesh said in future improvements they will take cues from the RHFAC rating feedback.
In its final report, the City of Powell River stated that these improvements, which impacted nearly a third of the building, has opened council chambers to those previously kept out due to lack of accessibility. Additionally, committee members can attend their meetings and be present in the room now that there aren’t stairs to hinder mobility.
“Along with so many other seniors, I’d been counting the days since the new library opened until we could have level access, with adjacent parking, to the newly configured council chambers. It’s been life-changing, believe me,” Nelson said.
“At 78 years of age, I’m not yet willing to retire from community engagement as long as my history and skills are of value: the improved accessibility is going to keep me in the game for as long as I’m intellectually capable!”
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this Program from the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction.
