OOB plans wheelchair ramp by summer

OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Maine’s best-known beach should be wheelchair-accessible by Memorial Day, bringing the town of Old Orchard Beach into compliance with state and federal laws.

A plan is in the works to perform $10,000 worth of drainage work to Staples Street, where people who have mobility problems can park. After the drainage work is done, a ramp to the beach will be built at an estimated cost of $800 to $1,000.

“When you’ve got five miles of white sandy beach and the public comes in droves, I think it should be accessible to everybody,” said Town Manager James Thomas. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Accessibility experts said the town’s plans to make the beach accessible are in keeping with the intent of the Maine Human Rights Act and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, both of which require handicapped access to public places.

“Beach access is becoming more important because people are becoming more aware of it,” said Denis Pratt, architect and accessibility specialist at Alpha One, a disability-rights group in South Portland. “The laws require entities that control beaches make them accessible to people with disabilities.”

Pratt said Old Orchard’s plans for beach accessibility should have been in place last summer, but a political shake-up at Town Hall delayed the project until next summer.