The Gorham Street sidewalk next to the Astor Theatre was impassable on Thursday. (Rick Conrad photo)

By Rick Conrad

Some users of the Astor Theatre in Liverpool say the Region of Queens is not doing enough to ensure the building is accessible, especially after this week’s snowstorm.

Kim Lees lives in Liverpool. Her knitting group meets at the Astor every Thursday. She said when they arrived in the early afternoon, it was difficult to find an easy way to enter the building. It was especially difficult for anyone with mobility issues.

“I don’t think the municipality is doing a very great job considering you can’t get up the wheelchair ramp and you can’t get in the front of the building easily either because there’s no clear pathway.

“It’s horrible and if this is the municipality’s property and it is a public building then it should be accessible to everybody.”

The sidewalk on Main Street in front of the Astor had been cleared Thursday afternoon. But the pathway from that sidewalk to the front of Astor had not. The narrow Gorham Street sidewalk on the side of the building was not cleared either, forcing people to walk in the street from the rear parking lot, or use the sidewalk on the other side of Gorham.

The accessible entrance at the back of the building cannot be used. While part of the wheelchair ramp to the back entrance is cleared, the rest of the ramp is blocked by a chain and filled with snow. 

Part of the ramp to the malfunctioning accessible entrance at the back of the Astor Theatre is blocked by a chain and snow. (Rick Conrad photo)

The automatic accessible door at the top of the ramp has not been working at least since the fall, Lees said. The Astor has kept it locked because it has been malfunctioning.

The region owns the Astor and Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre. It leases the building to the Astor Theatre Society. The municipality is responsible for keeping the sidewalks and the entrances to the Astor clear.

Jerri Southcott took over as executive director of the Astor last week. 

After concerns about access were raised, she asked one of the Astor’s staff to clear the walkway in front of the building.

Southcott has sent a letter to the region’s accessibility co-ordinator detailing some of the concerns with the building. She has a meeting set with municipal officials on Friday.

“We have made them aware of the issues with the ramp and we’re all working together to try to get that done as soon as possible,” she said Thursday.

Astor Theatre staff cleared the walkway in front of the building Thursday afternoon after people raised concerns about access. (Rick Conrad photo)

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman thanked the Astor’s staff for clearing a pathway to the theatre. She said the region’s staff were busy Thursday clearing streets, sidewalks, parking spaces and other areas around Liverpool.

She said that as mayor she can’t tell staff what to do. Adam Grant is the director of engineering and public works, the department responsible for the maintenance of municipal infrastructure.

Norman did not know why municipal staff didn’t get to the Astor. She said the sidewalk on Gorham Street next to the Astor is too narrow for the region’s sidewalk plows, so it has to be shovelled. She suggested people cross Gorham and use the wider sidewalk to Main Street. 

“And presently staff are clearing parking stalls and ensuring fire hydrants and accessible parks and roadways and all those things are clear,” Norman said. “Again, thank you to the Astor Theatre staff who shovelled out their walkway today before the region’s crew were able to get there.

“There’s many issues with snow removal. That sidewalk on the other side of the street is better for anybody with mobility issues. It’s a few steps more.”

As for the blocked accessible entrance, Norman says the region is working on it. She said she doesn’t know how long staff has been aware it isn’t working. She said she found out about it five days ago. 

“We try our best in the Region of Queens to make our properties as accessible as best we can. Sometimes we run into these unexpected matters. Council budgeted a fair amount of money to make that accessible and how unfortunate it is that we are now having issues with that door. But we are trying our very best to ensure that a building we own is indeed accessible for the public and for those who work there.”

In the meantime, Norman suggests people call the Astor ahead of time if they need help getting into the building.

“But there should be a way in which if someone’s going and they truly need to get in through that door as an accessible doorway, that they’ll be able to make contact with the Astor.”

Kim Lees says she wants the municipality to make sure its own properties are accessible.

“I want them to get off their hands and clear the snow. There is an issue in Canada where accessibility is a problem. And if it’s a public building, especially if the municipality owns it, I think that it should be cleaned. It should be accessible to everyone no matter if you are on foot, in a wheelchair, on crutches, canes. It should be accessible to everybody.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens Council packed a lot into their final meeting of the year.

Following a public meeting that took most of the morning, council voted against selling the South Shore Regional Airport. Instead, they will continue to operate the facility and will look to sign the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association and the South Shore Flying Club to new leases.

Rumclo Developments Ltd and Van Der Pas design made a presentation proposing to build 124 units on 23 acres of waterfrontage at 133 Shore Road if the Region agrees to pick up the $1.5 million tab to extend water service to the development.

Council will weigh the proposal and make the decision as part of the upcoming annual budget process.

Representatives of Hillsview Acres Long Term Care home provided a yearly update. While all regular positions are filled, the facility is searching for part-time staff.

Queens Manor has been providing some assistance to Hillsview Acres.

Both facilities will be merged and replaced when the new Long Term Care Home is built and ready in four years.

A couple of items that have been bouncing around the latest agendas have been resolved.

Council accepted terms of reference for the new pool committee, voted down spending up to $10,000 towards the cost of creating a Bioeconomic Development Zone and will prioritize clearing shrubs that obstructs traffic at Market and Henry Hensey Drive.

Councillors Maddie Charlton and David Brown will sit on a committee to update the Region’s communications strategy.

Council also considered a Development Agreement that would allow a 7-unit short term rental building in Hunts Point to be converted to multi-unit residential housing.

A public hearing on the matter will be held in council chambers January 10.

Council agreed to replace a 2010 work truck that is past its useable life with a new ¾ ton for $75,000 plus tax.

The Region will write off almost $10,000 in uncollectable debt owed to the municipality to get it off the books.

Council received a staff report detailing when council could request a traffic study.

They were informed they could make the request when making an amendment to the Land Use Bylaw or when adopting a Development Agreement but generally the decision to trigger a traffic study is left to the engineer or planner of the traffic authority.

And finally, Region Staff will now be calling for the tow truck if a vehicle is impeding snow clearing operations.

RCMP informed the municipality they don’t have the available personnel to police those parking violations, but it is within the regions authority to do so.

The next council meeting will be held in council chambers starting at 9:00 am on January 10.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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