Taunton receives $100,000 in grants for ADA accessibility upgrades

The Taunton Daily Gazette
·2 min read

TAUNTON — The City of Taunton has received two grants, totaling $100,000, in order to make some ADA accessibility upgrades.

The grants, for $50,000 each, were received through the Massachusetts Office on Disability’s Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program, according to a press release from Mayor Shaunna O'Connell's office.

One $50,000 grant will be applied towards improvements at the Weir Riverfront Park on East Water Street, and the other will be applied towards making the Martin School nurse’s bathroom compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The grant funds will allow the city to complete all of the walkways at Weir Riverfront Park as well as install new ADA-accessible seating and picnic tables. At Martin School, the bathroom in the nurse’s office will be reconstructed to bring it into ADA compliance. Both projects are listed on the City’s ADA Transition Plan.

A marker stands where the Weir Stove Company and F.B. Rogers once were. Today, it's Weir Village Riverfront Park. A boat can be seen passing, background left.
A marker stands where the Weir Stove Company and F.B. Rogers once were. Today, it's Weir Village Riverfront Park. A boat can be seen passing, background left.

“Our city is committed to being a welcome place for people of all abilities. Our efforts to improve our city are ongoing and we are pleased with the progress we are making towards increasing compliance with ADA standards in a variety of locations within the city. I am appreciative of our staff in the Building Department and at Parks & Recreation for their commitment to improving and upgrading our city spaces. I am especially grateful for the continuous efforts of our Office of Economic and Community Development to find and secure grants to fund projects that will make a difference in the lives of our residents,” O’Connell said in the release.

The Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program is open annually to cities and towns in the Commonwealth. Eligible projects include redesigning or reconstructing public facilities to ADA accessibility standards.

“Over the past few years, there have been a number of improvements made throughout the city regarding accessibility. With these additional grants, the City continues to move forward making the Weir Riverfront Park more accessible, as well as a much-needed accessible nurse’s office for students at Martin School. The Disability Commission appreciates all the work being done by city departments to bring all areas of the city into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,” said Donna DiCorpo, Disability Commission Chair.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton gets $100K in grants to make ADA accessibility upgrades