Brawley residents protest ADA ‘ramps to nowhere’
BRAWLEY — Residents remain concerned as two ADA sidewalk ramps installed on South Rio Vista haven’t been connected to sidewalks nearly a month after they were installed.
The ADA ramps, which were installed by June 27, were placed on sidewalks in front of two homes — one at the corner of Rio Vista and West Allen Street and the other at the corner of Rio Vista and Cattle Call Drive.
The bright yellow, Braille-paved ramps simply run into either dirt or grass areas.
Installation of the ramps was required in order for the federally funded Rio Vista Avenue Asphalt Rehabilitation project to be completed, Brawley City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore explained.
The project’s primary purpose was to conduct street overlay work from Cattle Call Drive to Allen. However, per federally funded project requirements, installation of ADA ramps is required if they are not already in place, Moore said.
Just across the street, to the left of the Rio Vista/Allen Street home where one ramp was placed, there is sidewalk. That would have been a useful place for the ramp to be installed, Doris Pate, owner of the home, said.
However, the federally funded project covers only from Cattle Call Drive to Allen. The site across the street sits just outside the area covered by the project.
The Rio Vista segment between Allen and J Street is funded 100 percent by Measure D.
Measure D funding does not mandate installation of ADA ramps as part of street overlay work, so none were installed there, Moore said.
Pate, who has owned the Rio Vista/Allen home since 1958, said she was given only a few days’ worth of notice before the installation of the ramp.
She explained that, as her yard is within the city’s 10-foot easement, there was nothing she could do about the installation of the ramp.
The installation caused a partial removal of her front of her yard. Pate said she’s put $5,000 into her yard, which is made up of sand and decomposed granite.
She also explained she had desert plants and sprinkler lines installed to water those plants, as well as to make her yard drought tolerant.
Pate said once the ramp was complete, the blend of the sand and decomposed granite no longer mixes properly, and that her drip lines were incorrectly placed.
“I have to pay someone to fix it after I get the drip lines fixed correctly,” she said.
Pate believes the city will not construct any connecting sidewalks to the ramp.
“They have to do the whole block of sidewalk — not going to happen,” she said. “They will not remove this, but maybe they will. If we can put this back, and they can fix it the way it was, I would be a happy camper.”
The Rio Vista Avenue project was submitted, and approved, for congressional earmark re-purposing by the Federal Highway Administration.
Rio Vista was identified as a suitable fit for the funding because the roadway segment is highly traveled, designated on the California Road System Map and is part of the city of Brawley’s map of prioritized street improvements, Moore stated.
A re-purposed congressional earmark funded the $150,000 Rio Vista Avenue Asphalt Rehabilitation project, which was awarded May 21 and ended July 12, from Cattle Call to Allen.
Federal funding typically represents 88.5 percent of the project cost, with a local city match of 11.5 percent, Moore explained.
“Although ADA ramps do not currently attach to existing sidewalks, pursuit of future funding is planned,” the city manager said Wednesday. “Fiscal limitations hindered the City’s efforts to undertake a larger project.”
The ramps were discussed during the July 2 Brawley City Council meeting.
During public comments, a resident on Rio Vista told the council that if grant funds are “use it or lose it” and contingent on ADA ramp installation, the city should have foregone the project.
“My request for immediate action is to ensure that further street improvements be properly researched, budgeted and planned before construction begins to ensure that the residents of Brawley are being serviced in the most beneficial manner by city staff and projects,” the resident said.
The city’s Public Works Director Guillermo Sillas explained that it’s a very complicated process to obtain forums for specific streets that are qualified for a certain type of grant.
“Sometimes the public might know, or might think, that we could use it somewhere else, but those funds are attached to a requirement,” Sillas said. “And, one of those, to be able to repair or rehabilitate the streets that are in great need, requires the installation of those ADA ramps that sometimes do not connect with existing sidewalk because there’s no sidewalk.”
“That’s very difficult to rehabilitate the whole block or a bigger street at once, so we need to do it little by little,” Sillas said. “So hopefully in the near future we can get funds for pedestrians and we can install sidewalks.”
Sillas explained that landscaping to the Rio Vista/Allen home, which was removed during the installation of the ramp, was on the public right of way.
“People sometimes they don’t know that, but there is a section that belongs to the city and another that belongs to private property,” Sillas said. “We had to remove this landscaping — that we totally agreed that it is beautiful and unfortunately — but it’s something that we have to do as a requirement to access to state funds.”
Mayor Donald Wharton said the council was “certainly very aware of the projects.”
“I ride my bike through there quite often, so I’m familiar with the area,” Wharton said. “There’s clearly some dissatisfied residents. Maybe we can articulate a plan down the road of what the ‘go forward’ is to maybe take something and make right something that doesn’t make sense right now.”
Council member George Nava added that the city has previously added sidewalk construction to areas that didn’t have sidewalks previously.
Nava also explained that, due to the involvement of various funds, such as federal, state and local funds, it often takes a lot planning to complete street improvement.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Nava said. “I know there’s dissatisfied residents in the area, but I can tell you that we’re going to make every effort to make that right and see if we can get funding for sidewalk improvements as well.”