Citizens of Hatfield, I urge you to go to the polls on Nov. 8 and vote yes on Question 5 to authorize a debt exclusion to borrow for Phase II of the Town Hall Renovation Project.
Let there be no mistake: Massachusetts regulations clearly state: “In all multi-story buildings and facilities, each level including mezzanines, shall be served by a passenger elevator.”
The Phase II renovation also includes rebuilding of the handicapped ramps and improvements to fire suppression, neither of which are currently up to code. Should we fail to meet the 2018 deadline for code compliance, the town will be fined at the rate of $1,000 per day, per violation. This is not a joke.
The Massachusetts Architectural Access Board already has granted an extension of the deadline for code compliance and it will not look kindly on having its mandate ignored.
But, forgetting the demands of the state, do we really want to continue to make access to Town Hall difficult to impossible for the disabled and risk having inadequate fire suppression in our most important civic building? Vote yes on Question 5 and make town hall accessible and safe for all.
Amy Hahn
Hatfield