Welcome to the City of Newton, Massachusetts

Architectural Access for People with Disabilities

One of the priorities of the Newton Housing and Community Development Program is the removal of architectural barriers and the improvement of access for people with disabilities throughout the City of Newton.  In FY10 (July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010), $131,000 is allocated from Newton’s CDBG grant to projects that help meet this need. 
Decisions on how these funds are spent are made with the active involvement of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, an advisory committee composed of citizen advocates for access.  The Mayor’s Committee plays an active role in informing City leaders of the needs and priorities of Newton residents with disabilities and works cooperatively with Housing and Community Development staff to study and evaluate access needs in the city, develop priorities for barrier removal and recommend the types of projects that will result in the best use of CDBG funds to meet those priorities. 
The City is currently in the process of developing the FY11-FY15 Consolidated Plan.  During the months of April, May, and June (2009) the Housing and Community Development Division of the Planning and Development Department conducted a needs assessment in the area of access. This process was lead by the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities and consisted of three public meetings designed to obtain feedback on existing access needs from City Departments, non-profits serving Newton and Newton residents. The assessment process revealed four critical areas of need to address in order to improve the accessibility of public and private facilities for people with disabilities.  The four areas, in order of importance, are:

• Improvements to public thoroughfares—Improve access on public thoroughfares, especially sidewalks and street crossings, through the installation of curb cuts and accessible pedestrian signals at intersections with the highest levels of pedestrian traffic.

• Improvements to public buildings—Improve access to public buildings, facilities and programs through the removal of architectural barriers.

• Improvements to parks and recreational areas and facilities—Improve access to parks and recreational facilities through the installation of accessible entrances and walkways.

• Improvements to nonprofit agencies—Improve access to nonprofit agency facilities and services through the installation of automatic door openers, accessible signage and installation of lifts.

Project applications for CDBG Access funds are posted below. Applicant presentations will be heard by the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities on Monday, January, 11 from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. and Monday, January, 25 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m..

List of CDBG Access Applications (including applicant and amount requested) by Fiscal Year

FY2011
Newton Community Service Center Accessibility
Historic Newton Archives Preservation and Access Project
Accessible Building Directory Sign for Education Center
Farlow Tot Lot
River Street Swings
Burr Park Stair(s) Handrails
Newton Centre Playground Pathway Phase IV: Universal Play Area to Tennis     Courts/new HC Bubbler

FY2012
Newton Senior Center Vestibule
Cold Spring Park Pathway, Phase II
Cabot Park Master Access Plan
Crystal Lake Access, Phase II

FY2013
Newton Centre Playground Pathway Phase V
Burr Park Accessibility
Cabot Park Access, Phase I

FY2014
Newton Centre Playground Pathway Phase VI
Cabot Park Access, Phase II
Richard McGrath Park (Warren Playground) Master Access Plan

FY2015
Cabot Park Access, Phase III
Newton Centre Playground Pathway, Phase VII

Multi-Year Requests
ADA Compliant Ramps City-Wide
Small Access Projects