Grant to North Andover for ADA review

Jan. 20—NORTH ANDOVER — A recent $52,000 grant from the state will allow North Andover to make sure all of its buildings are accessible to people with disabilities.

"We'll be hiring a consultant, and we'll have an internal working group of town employees that will help guide the process," said Andrew Shapiro, director of community and economic development for the town.

Those employees will include Paul Hutchins, the town's building commissioner, who also coordinates North Andover's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The town last examined its adherence to that act in 1994, Shapiro said, and its review generated a list of suggestions that resulted in many fixes around town, including at Town Hall.

But the new working group will need to examine building codes that have changed since that initial review, in addition to looking at all the spaces where they may apply.

"We have about 942,000 square feet of public facilities, just between government facilities and school department facilities, that we need to examine in this process," Shapiro said. "Not only that, but we'll have the consultant look through community building surveys and reports we have on file, and also conduct an evaluation of our policies and programs. After looking at all that information, they provide us with action tips."

Completing this review will have the added benefit of keeping the town eligible for Housing Choice Community grants, which assist with accessibility of another kind.

"The grants are to be used to support diversifying a community's housing stock, and making housing more accessible to more people," Shapiro said.

North Andover entered an agreement with the Department of Housing and Community Development a year and a half ago to update its ADA plans as a condition for being recertified as a Housing Choice Community, Shapiro said.

Honoring that agreement by completing their ADA review allows the town to apply for up to $250,000 in each funding cycle, money that can be used for building or planning projects.

"We actually received a $75,000 grant in this most recent cycle that we're going to use for zoning for the downtown area," Shapiro said.

Maintaining certification as a Housing Choice Community also helps the town secure other kinds of funding.

"You can score better on other state grant applications," Shapiro said. "Grant applications will ask you, are you a Housing Community? You can build a profile with applications, so being a housing choice applicant is a bonus designation."

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