Denver agrees to spend $3M on repairing disabled access

The city of Denver will make building changes and evaluate several programs and services as part of a new federal settlement that aims improve accessibility for the disabled in all aspects of “civic life.”

City officials estimate that initial compliance with the U.S. Justice Department’s mandates will cost $3 million — but that cost could soar, based on a ballpark estimate made while the federal Project Civic Access review was underway last year. The department released Denver’s settlement Monday as the latest of more than 200 accessibility reviews conducted since 1999 in cities and towns in every state to enforce the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

In anticipation of the settlement, Denver city officials last year ensured that $10 million will be raised as part of the public facilities component of the $937 million bond package approved by Denver voters in November.

That’s just the start, as the city over the course of several years works to meet the terms of a settlement that’s aimed, in part, at remedying access issues that predate the passage of the ADA in 1990. A bond item summary that was prepared in July said that while definitive cost projections were not yet available, a rough estimate was $58 million to $67 million.

The federal agreement, which was negotiated with Denver city officials, requires a thorough review of more buildings and the correction of any accessibility issues at courthouses, emergency shelters, libraries, parking lots, polling places and parks.

The initial $3 million sum covers the cost of modifying city buildings and properties that were surveyed by federal officials, a city spokeswoman said. It also includes the expense of hiring consultants to examine many remaining public facilities that weren’t covered by the federal review.

“The $10 million allocated in the public facilities ballot question would allow the city to address some of the most critical needs identified in the final survey,” said Jenna Espinoza, a spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Hancock’s office, in an email. “As examples, some of the projects could include accessible parking, entrances, ramps, restrooms, jury boxes and emergency (exits).”

The city has faced challenges in recent years over issues including sidewalk curbs that were cumbersome for the disabled to use and problems getting tickets to Red Rocks Amphitheatre’s limited wheelchairaccessible seating.

The city has made recent efforts to resolve both issues, including striking an agreement on curbs two years ago with the nonprofit Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center. It agreed to install at least 1,500 new ADA-compliant curb ramps a year until that problem is fixed.

“All we can say is we’re thrilled” about the new agreement, said Kevin Williams, the legal program director for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, which brought the Red Rocks suit and was involved with the curb challenge. “Maybe we’ll get less calls about the

city.”

He praised the new agreement and said that while Denver and other cities have made strides in increasing access for the disabled, “there are tons of things that don’t comply.”

Williams welcomed the pressure applied by the Justice Department’s review. But he expressed disappointment that the new settlement doesn’t cover general sidewalk accessibility, with the agreement incorrectly saying that the issue was addressed by the 2016 curb-retrofits agreement.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division also looked at existing programs such as those that ensure 911 emergency call access for the hearing impaired and provide sign language interpretation for police. The agreement requires the city to maintain or improve the effectiveness of those programs.

“Denver has committed to ensuring all of its residents, including persons with disabilities, have access to county and city services and programs,” said John Gore, the acting assistant attorney general over the Civil Rights Division, in a statement. “We applaud Denver for taking this step.”