MALDEN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Since its construction five years ago, Malden City Hall has been compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but one issue persisted.
A large glass door at the entrance of the city hall had no push-button access, leading those with disabilities or full hands to sometimes struggle. This posed an issue for Allie Durak when she tried to enter Malden City Hall while holding her son.
“I was very excited that someone was there to open the door,” said Durak.
This was also a big red flag for Amanda Belles, Chair of the Malden Disabilities Commission. When presented with the issue, Belles said the city jumped at the chance to improve access.
“They’re more accessible. It’s more accessible for literally everyone, it could be a parent pushing a stroller, struggling to open the doors,” said Belles.
The change didn’t come without challenges, according to Malden’s Public Facilities Director, Eric Rubin.
“[They’re] Big glass doors, so there was a couple different situations with the openers that are built into the floor, securing a bracket to the glass, and then with mounting a motor… so there was a bunch of different factors at play that we had to figure out,” said Rubin.
But after months of work and troubleshooting, the new push-button doors were unveiled last week.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.