NORTH READING — North Reading’s Edith O’Leary Senior Center has been awarded a state $50,000 Municipal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Improvement Grant to help remove barriers and improve access to the facility for residents and visitors.
Administered by the state’s Executive Office of Administration and Finance and the Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD), the Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program is designed to support capital improvements at municipal properties and municipally-owned facilities to improve programmatic access and remove barriers encountered by persons with disabilities.
The town plans to use the funding to improve flooring at the O’Leary Senior Center, located at the Third Meeting House on the Common. The town was one of 57 Massachusetts communities to receive a Municipal ADA Improvement Grant as part of the program’s Fiscal Year 2024 funding cycle. More than $3.9 million in funding was awarded, with individual grants ranging from $3,000 to $250,000.
Programs moved to Aldersgate during construction
This beautiful historic building, built in 1829, is the heart of exercise, educational and nutrition programs for seniors in North Reading. The ADA Improvement Grant will address uneven floors to ensure that the main level is more accessible to residents with mobility impairments. Construction is scheduled to occur between Monday, May 13 and Friday, May 24, with all programs temporarily shifting to Aldersgate Church, 235 Park St., during that time. The Senior Center will re-open for North Reading’s Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, May 27.
“The Edith O’Leary Senior Center is a wonderful community resource for North Reading’s seniors,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading). “Director Kim Manzelli and her staff do an outstanding job providing quality programs and services for local residents. This grant funding will help make the Senior Center an even more welcoming and accessible place for all visitors.”
“Carrying on the great legacy of Edie O’Leary, the dedicated and talented staff opens the door to nutrition, education, programming, and more to the town’s seniors at the Senior Center,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). “Director Kim Manzelli and her team will surely use these funds to make sure more people can walk through that door and navigate the center more easily and conveniently.”
The Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program, which is open to all Massachusetts cities and towns, offers two specific types of grants. Planning grants are available for communities looking to update or create a Self-Evaluation and/or Transition Plan as required under the Administrative Requirements of Title II of the ADA. Project grants, like the one North Reading received, are designed to assist communities with improving both physical and programmatic access through the removal of architectural or communication barriers. Some examples of funding-eligible projects include ramps, elevators, power lifts and Limited Use/Limited Application (LULAs) signage, communication access devices, and curb cuts.
The Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD) provides information, guidance, and training on disability-related civil rights issues to help individuals with disabilities understand their rights and to inform local and state government entities about their accessibility obligations. Additional information is available on their website at https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-office-on-disability.