Starke County Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Bombagetti will soon be taking on several new responsibilities for the county, as the Starke County Commissioners this week passed a motion appointing Bombagetti as the county’s ADA coordinator.
Commissioner Jennifer Davis told WKVI that the highway garage had received a letter from the Indiana Department of Transportation detailing several deadlines for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall forwarded the letter to the commissioners by email in October.
Norem explained that the act requires counties to designate an employee as ADA coordinator, develop and adopt a grievance or complaint procedure, develop and adopt accessibility standards, design details, and several other steps to ensure compliance. Bombagetti will be required to complete an evaluation of the county’s compliance, develop an inventory of all buildings, crosswalks, and other items that need to be upgraded for compliance, and develop a plan for removing access barriers.
INDOT recommends counties perform reevaluations every three to five years. Norem said the county is currently behind schedule, as the inventory and other requirements are expected to be completed by Dec. 31. However, the county is well on its way to getting these items done.
The county is running against the clock to become ADA compliant, as if they fall too far behind the deadline, the county’s eligibility for federal funding may be compromised.
