East Ferris seniors press for elevator improvements
EAST FERRIS, Ont. — Club Action 50+ members want the town council to champion the cause of accessibility at the East Ferris Community Centre. Specifically, group members want improvements made to the elevator system within the building – which is more of a lift than a proper elevator.
Lori Betik and Lyne Way-White, of Club Action 50+, an East Ferris senior’s club with over 700 members, asked council to make the project a priority and keep an eye out for any available funding sources the municipality could apply for.
“Seniors in our community see an absolute necessity to have a proper elevator in the community centre,” Betik said. She detailed how difficult it is to operate the lift. It requires a key, so a staff member must be present. The door to the lift “is very heavy,” she added, and overall, it’s “very difficult” to operate by oneself.
Seniors and other community members have “different mobility issues,” Way-White reminded councillors. “It’s very important that we work to try to find funding for this.” She mentioned the lift system within North Bay’s Christ Church, “a similar lift” to that within the community centre, “but you can call it” up or down via a button.
There are many community events held upstairs at the community centre, and Way-White and Betik want to ensure those are easily accessible to residents.
Councillors agreed but admitted the money is an issue. Without government funding, it will take a while to improve the lift. Councillor Rick Champagne noted that a previous council did look into the issue and had an estimate for the work.
It came to about $250,000, and that was “about 10 years ago,” Champagne added.
See: East Ferris highlights impact of two provincial grants
However, as Councillor Terry Kelly said, “there are seniors in need” in East Ferris, so council and municipal staff will prepare to pounce on any possible grant opportunities from the provincial and federal governments.
“It’s a public facility and it needs to be accessible,” emphasized East Ferris CAO Jason Trottier.
All options to improve such access are on the table. From upgrading the current lift to improve ease of operation to removing some of the doors leading to the lift, to installing a new elevator in a more convenient, and visible area.
As Betik noted, many visitors or new residents “would not even know” the lift is there, as it’s out of sight behind doors, with no sign posted.
Improving the situation “is a priority,” Mayor Pauline Rochefort said, “and we’ll all look for opportunities to do that. I’m really glad you brought this forward, it’s something we need to fix.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca
