Price tag on the City Of Columbia ADA Transition Upgrades/Updates

This is a letter that I have sent to City Council,the Mayor and the City Manager concerning the total cost of the City of Columbia ADA Transition Plan and Update/Upgrades.
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Dear Mayor, City Manager and City Councilmen. Greetings.

The issue I bring before you by this letter is the subject of the study performed by Mr. Gerald Morgan in conjunction with the City Of Columbia ADA Transition Plan.

I have received copies of the initial reports that state the overall price tag of all upgrades relating to this transition plan upgrades to come into compliance with the ADA regulations is just over $1 Million Dollars over a 5 year plan but the bulk of these costs and upgrades are mainly centered in the Columbia Parks and Recreation System with their share of this $1 Million Dollars being roughly $850,000.00. That means roughly 75% of the fixes required fall upon the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System. That is a lot of fixes for one department one would come to a sound conclusion about.

Now for the point of my presentation here. Being the City of Columbia has a Park Sales Tax that was voted into place by the citizens of Columbia and was pushed by those whom in my humble opinion just had to have this tax in place/renewed for maintenance, upgrades, buying of lands, building of new facilities and improvements to existing facilities I feel myself as a tax paying citizen of Columbia that ALL of the roughly $850,000.00 price tag for ALL of the ADA upgrades and fixes to ALL City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department facilities and or system should ONLY come out of the Park Tax Funding that we the voters of the City of Columbia voted/renewed into place.

In doing the above this entire ADA Transition Update/Upgrade WILL not impact the City of Columbia General Fund as radically as it could if the above suggestion/plan were not to be followed.

The ADA is over 21 years old now and over those 21 years ALL of these fixes that are now needing to be done just did not happen overnight.

The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department both present and past management has long been aware of ADA guidelines and requirements when it comes to ALL facets of construction, maintenance and upkeep but obviously there has been poor management enough to go all around since the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department was formed and properly notified in 1990 of the ADA and ALL of its guidelines and various title agreements.

I do not believe that the City of Columbia General Fund should be burdened by any of this roughly $850,000.00 price tag when it has been the total lack of attention to upkeep, maintenance and building practices according to ADA Standards by the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System.

I am sure there will be the argument by Mr. Hood that "Oh I already have that money spent". To that I call FOUL because NO budget is ever set in stone. Ever. Projects get put on the back burner until later dates all of the time. All Federal, State, County and Cities do it ALL of the time. Major corporations do this ALL of the time. There should be no difference in the upgrading that has been found to be needed by Gerald Morgan and be in FULL compliance with the City of Columbia ADA Transition Plan when it comes to the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System in performing these updates/upgrades and using ONLY funding from the Park Sales Tax. The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System failed to keep their facilities properly updated/upgraded per ADA guidelines so let the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department/System pay for this roughly $850,000.00 out of their own Park Tax and NOT out of the City of Columbia General Fund.

I am sure many citizens of Columbia might just agree with me.
Thank you for your time and your understanding.
Charles E Dudley Jr.
1201 Paquin Street
Columbia Missouri