Edited Sept. 17 at 9:45 a.m. to include additional statement from Katrina Hebb

BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON -- A former Canton business owner who is now wheelchair bound expressed her displeasure with the handicapped accessibility at the Canton Municipal Building.

Katrina Hebb, who is currently the minister at the Potsdam Presbyterian Church, told village board members Wednesday night that a trip to the Main Street building to renew a handicapped parking permit was a horrific experience.

"I had the misfortune of going to the municipal building to get a handicapped parking permit and I give it a big flat 'F' in terms of accessibility," Hebb stated. "I have no interest or desire to bring a lawsuit but I want to let you know you could be open to a lawsuit."

Her ordeal started from the outset when she and her daughter pulled into the handicapped parking spot directly in front of the municipal building. She said getting the wheelchair out of the vehicle was extremely difficult and a busy traffic pattern added to what she described as a very dangerous situation.

"I was taking my life into my own hands. Cars were rushing by and if I lost my balance I would have fallen into traffic," she said. "There was not enough space lengthwise to wheel myself up to the sidewalk and through the sand."

Hebb said the main problem at hand is that there is complete inaccessibility to the police department, the board room and offices of the mayor and town supervisor on the mezzanine level.

She continued to say when she approached the door, there is no button to automatically open the doors. Once inside with the help of her daughter and another person, she proceeded to the town clerk's office.

"The counter was over my head. This kind of thing happens all the time but not in a municipal building," Hebb said.

She said she was assisted by someone in the town clerk's office who brought her paperwork and driver's license up the stairs to the police department. A police officer returned with the new permit but indicated he needed to have her old placard..

"I was ready to pull my hair out. I didn't want to go through the whole thing again," she said. Her daughter went to the car to retrieve the old permit.

"It was an incredibly stressful experience and humiliating," she stated.

Hebb said small changes like installing a button to open the door and changing the handicapped parking spot would at least allow someone to get into the building.

Mayor Michael Dalton said the Main Street parking spot was placed by the New York State Department of Transportation and that the antiquated municipal building is limited in terms of handicapped accessibility options and that ideal conditions for access may only be realized through the construction of a new municipal building.

Trustee Beth Larrabee expressed her concerns about the safety of the Main Street parking spot and said dialogue with state DOT needs to be initiated.

"Issues people face we're just not aware of. Your story has got some wheels moving. I encourage you to keep your eyes on us," said Trustee Carol Pynchon.