There is probably a reason why this firm wins a lot of bids, when you don’t have to follow the rules you can do things on the cheap (think bouncing Mezzanine at the Pavilion);
42 U.S.C. 12181 under title III of the American with Disabilities Act states, “requires places of public accommodation and commercial facilities to be designed, constructed, and altered in compliance with the accessibility standards.”
So that brings us back to Ellerbe Becket.
According to the Department of Justice, they began investigating Ellerbe Becket 16 years ago in August 1994, after the department received complaints involving these arenas: the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon; the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio; the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts; the Corestates Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the MCI Center in Washington D.C. and the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.
According to court paperwork filed in 1997, when Ellerbe Becket wanted to have several claims against them dismissed, the plaintiff who was the United States government said, “wheelchair seating locations did not provide lines of sight over standing spectators.”
I remember taking an ADA course when I worked at the Pavilion. This is serious business – there is no room for skimping.
I remember taking an ADA course when I worked at the Pavilion. This is serious business – there is no room for skimping.
And its not just inside the building l3wis? How about parking with respect to ADA?
Well, it sure is a good thing the selection committee passed over a bid by Populus. They’re only the leading global experts on planning, designing, and building sports arenas. I guess experience with the Olympics, the World Cup, etc, is chump change compared to an ADA violator. This whole process has been effed up eight ways to Sunday, if you ask me!
The ADA is sort of a joke however. Yes it has done some good things, but it has also led to a lot of frivolous lawsuits over trivial matters.
Penn and Teller devoted an eposide to it on their Showtime show… I highly recommend viewing if you get the opportunity (it is available via Netflix).
If we have a EC downtown and a taskforce has already stated a monster truck show will require 4,000 parking spots, how many handicap spots should there be on the 500 stall adjacent parking lot?
How many handicap spots do we have at the 4,000 spot parking facility at the arena/convention center? Not enough would be my guess.
I agree with Costner. I’d hesitate to condemn anyone because of some ADA lawsuit. ADA is often unrealistically demanding, even impossible with which to comply – that may be the point.
I once agreed to meet a couple of special needs activists at one of our stores. Despite the fact that we exceeded the accessible seating requirement, they demanded that we add even more. “What if more people showed up?” Yeah, the entire dining room should be redesigned for that one case in 50 years that there isn’t a place for them.
Dave – Did you watch the story? The other two firms have NO complaints against them but the one in question has several. I agree that ADA requirements can sometime be silly, but one has to scratch their head when the other two design firms seem to understand it but the one in question does not, or maybe just chooses to ignore it.
Great design – it looks like a giant toilet bowel lid.
Mea villa…was just made aware that TSP and Populous partnered up. No prior mention in the media.