News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A community art project proposed to celebrate the heritage of Whychus Creek has run into a snag at City Hall, due to ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) requirements.
The project grew out of a Ford Family Foundation leadership program. Participants settled upon a community project that will depict the history of Whychus Creek and efforts to restore steelhead runs to the watershed.
The art installation would run along the bridge over Whychus Creek at Creekside City Park. It would consist of interpretive panels running along the outside of the bridge along one side, seeming to disappear under the bridge to reemerge on the other side. The panels would be made of steel with a highly durable ceramic surface for the art, which would also include descriptive text flowing through the panels.
The art will tell the story of the creek from its use by Indians and settlers to current efforts to restore fish habitat.
The art installation itself has some drawbacks from an ADA accessibility standpoint. Viewing the panels must be made accessible, and the interpretive text must be made accessible for the vision-impaired through Braille or possibly through recordings.
More significantly, the installation is likely to trigger a requirement to modify the bridge.
"The bridge in general needs to be improved, needs to be brought up to accessibility standards," said city planner Pauline Hardie.
That means improved parking, making the pathway more wheelchair-friendly, improving ramping on the bridge and adding more usable handrails.
All of that is likely to be expensive, though Hardie does not yet have a dollar figure. The leadership group proposing the project would need to provide the improvements the project would trigger. That may be possible through grants.
While the ADA issues create a roadblock for the leadership group, the community is enthusiastic about the project.
"I think it's a fabulous project and we need to figure out how to make it happen," said Councilor Sharlene Weed.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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