This is one of several Americans with Disabilities Act projects
The hushed reading and studying in the Main Library will soon be punctuated by the sounds of hammering and power tools.
The disturbances, which the library staff hopes will be minimal, are necessary to put in new bathrooms and a front entrance that is accessible to people with disabilities.
It's one of many projects that Palo Alto has planned for city buildings, parks and streets to meet the requirements of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
The $93,000 Main Library project should begin this month and last three months. The library project is occurring now because the city got a $55,000 grant from federal library funds.
"One of the main things people will notice is the bathrooms won't be open," said Main Library Services Manager Diane Jennings.
Portable restrooms will be provided while the bathrooms are being expanded and remodeled.
The bathroom expansion will make the library's audio visual room slightly smaller. During construction, part of the room will be closed off and some records will be in storage, Jennings said.
The project will also lower portions of the reference desk and check out counter.
The library was closed Feb. 15 and 16 for asbestos removal, but the library shouldn't be closed during the upcoming construction, Jennings said. Project updates will be posted on the redwood wall across from the checkout desk.
The city has a long, expensive list of needed improvements that surfaced in a 1992 accessibility survey.
"We can't afford to do all buildings and city streets at once," said Fred Herman, the city's ADA coordinator.
To date the city has spent almost $1 million in capital improvement funds for ADA projects, said John Carlson, senior Public Works engineer. Additional money comes out of the street improvements fund to put in ramps and curb cuts as the city's streets are resurfaced and sidewalks repaired, Carlson said.
Herman has a $20,000 annual budget to respond to special requests, and provide sign-language speakers when requested for council meetings.
So far, the city has put in accessible bathrooms on two floors of the Civic Center, and put in assisted-listening devices in the Council Chambers at City Hall and at the Lucie Stern theater, Herman said. The Senior Center is currently being remodeled and seismically upgraded. Other projects coming up include improving the seating in the Council Chambers and making Rinconada Pool accessible.
The city "is very responsive when we've asked them to do curb cuts in certain areas," or if vegetation covers a sidewalk, said Tanya Cantrell, chair of the city's Disability Awareness Task Force.
Cantrell said the ADA projects are important "so that everybody can participate equally in city stuff."
Task force member Phyllis Seidman said she thinks the city is doing a good job.
"I think the area that to me is most troublesome is making sure there's access on the street. Some of the old ramps are really difficult to navigate because they're too steep," said Seidman, who uses a wheelchair.
Another problem is complaints about private businesses that the city receives but can't do anything about, Herman said.
Alice Fischgrund, who is mostly deaf, is trying to get the Stanford Theater to provide listening devices for people hard of hearing, like other Peninsula movie theaters do.
"I'm thinking of applying to the Packard Foundation for a grant," to provide the $1,500 in devices, Fischgrund half joked. David W. Packard owns the theater.
--Heather Rock Woods
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