The Aurora City Council on Monday delayed a decision to award a construction contract for accessibility upgrades to the council chambers, saying they need more information about the project.

Two council members also wondered whether other places lack compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, noting the money might be more needed there.   

The council chambers is already ADA compliant; the project makes accessibility easier and quicker.

In 2022, the policymaking body allocated $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to upgrade accessibility inside the Paul Tauer City Council Chambers. The upgrades would include adding a ramp option from the main council entrance to the floor and improve access to the dais from the council floor. 

On Monday, city staff brought forward a plan and the cost of the lowest bid for the project, but councilmembers decided they need more information about the expenses and other possible accessibility projects in the city.

As of Jan. 9, the city has already spent $113,000 on design and permit fees for the project, according to council documents.

In July of 2022, a design contract was awarded to GSG Architecture for $136,000 for architectural and engineering services. The city requested bids on the project and got two — the lower one for $817,000 from Bristlecone Construction. 

The money would come from $750,000 in ARPA funds and $203,000 in building repair dollars. 

Currently, there is accessible seating at the top level of the chambers and access to the floor and podium via stairs or a lift. There is access to the council dais via stairs or through the Aurora Room. 

The project would add a ramp option for people who wish to sit in lower seats or who want to speak at the podium without using the lift. It would also remove the lift on the west side of the chambers and add a ramp with access from the dais to the main chamber entrance. 

New accessible seating would also be added in the first three rows of the middle section, and the project would include adding new paint and carpet, according to staff. 

During the project’s completion, the chambers would need to be closed, with the construction estimated to last about seven or eight months, during which council meetings would be held virtually. 

At Monday’s meeting, staff also presented a second option that would lessen the closure time and save money by forgoing the ramp to the dais and opting to build only the ramp to the chambers floor. 

Councilmember Curtis Gardner said that, while he prefers the amended option, he recommends the council choose at least one of the two options to improve accessibility. 

“The current option with the lift for public comment is frankly humiliating,” Gardner said. “If we had extensive public comment for disabled public and we had commenter after commenter were that had to happen, it would be embarrassing for us to sit through that.”

The city should take advantage of the federal money available and go forward with either the original or amended accessibility plans, Gardner said. 

Councilmember Crystal Murillo agreed, saying that she favors getting the whole project done at once but also isn’t opposed to the amended option. 

Other councilmembers, however, said they would need to know the cost of the amended project before making a decision.

To get a cost for the amended plan, staff would either have to rebid, which could take three or four months, award the contract to the bidder and submit a change order, or use a third party cost estimator to get an estimate.

Along with cost uncertainties, Mayor Mike Coffman and Councilmember Dustin Zvonek asked if there were other places in Aurora that lacked ADA compliance and needed funding. 

“This might be the top priority, but we don’t know,” Zvonek said. 

Laura Perry, the deputy city manager, said the city is currently working on an ADA transition plan, a multi-year effort that began over a year ago and identifies needed improvements for ADA compliance all over the city.

The transition plan is ongoing, so Perry could not provide numbers to council on Monday.

Zvonek and Coffman suggested waiting for those numbers before making a decision. 

Councilmember Francoise Bergan also brought up a possible bill coming through legislature that would address ADA compliance for “large people.”

Bergan was referring to conversations in Colorado legislature about joining several other states, including Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey, in considering a bill that bans discrimination against — and addresses workplace accommodations — for people who are obese.

Bergan requested more information about the proposed bill before making a decision to avoid, she said, making drastic changes to the chambers only to find out they will then have to make more changes.

The council agreed — with the exception of Gardner and Murillo — to table the conversation.