WT Group Accessibility Starts Montana Project

“Accessibility to all of what Butte-Silver Bow offers is critical and we want to not just make promises, but make access a reality” said James Oulette, the ADA Coordinator for the City-County of Butte-Silver Bow (BSB) in Montana. This WT Group Accessibility project started back in April when WT responded to the BSB request for proposals. Winning the job after an interview led to scope refinement discussions and agreement on a schedule. The project started with boots on the ground July 22, 2024.

BSB is responding to the mandates of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II of the ADA requires every one of the 89,000 units of state and local government to audit all existing sites and facilities, including sidewalks, and develop a transition plan that notes the order of retrofit for sites with access deficits.

Shelley Zuniga is the WT Group Accessibility Senior Project Manager and leads the BSB effort. “Our scope is big so we started July 22 with a four-person team. All of us have a slightly different role.”

• Tatum Storey, a WT Group Project Manager, will lead our effort to audit BSB sidewalks and also be involved in park and facility audits.
• Laurel Heizelman, a WT Group Accessibility Specialist, will audit parks and facilities and have a role in ensuring BSB policies are compliant with Title II.
• Brett Gordon, a WT Group Accessibility Specialist, will audit parks and facilities, including sidewalks, and have a role in ensuring BSB programs are inclusive of people with disabilities.

“I was glad to be in Butte too” said John McGovern, the WT Group Accessibility Practice Principal-in-Charge. He met with key BSB leadership staff to ensure all were on the same page regarding the scope of this two-year project. “We were excited to see the community interest in the project and that can only mean good things in the future."

Zuniga said her team is next in Butte for more audits the week of August 19. Josh Margolis, a multimedia reporter for NBC Montana, posted the story linked below after interviewing staff on July 25 in Butte. He promises to follow this story and we will share his reporting as we see it. See his report here: https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/34-years-after-ada-passage-butte-seeks-compliance

This exciting opportunity to serve the Butte community is another example of the commitment by WT Group to the communities we serve. Remember that along with top-notch engineering and architecture, WT Group also has experts in ADA compliance in the Accessibility Practice Area. Does your jurisdiction have a current ADA transition plan? Reach John McGovern at jmcgovern@wtgroup.com or 224-293-6451 to learn more.

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