[Year-Round Housing] Fwd: ISland program info bulletin

[mlongreene2 at aol.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: Liza Fleming-Ives <liza at genesisfund.org>
To: Mark Greene <mlongreene2 at aol.com>; Mary Terry <marykterry at gmail.com>
Cc: Norm Fecteau <nfecteau at mainehousing.org>
Sent: Thu, Nov 10, 2011 12:04 pm
Subject: Fwd: ISland program info bulletin


FYI

-------- Original Message -------- 

Subject: 
ISland program info bulletin

Date: 
Wed, 9 Nov 2011 13:30:23 -0500

From: 
Norm Fecteau <nfecteau at mainehousing.org>

To: 
Tim Archibald <tim at masismore.com>, Ellard Taylor <gbh.ellard at gmail.com>, Jamie Broadbent <jamie at kaplanthompson.com>, <corliscarroll at yahoo.com>, Katrina Van Dusen <katrina.van.dusen at gmail.com>, Bob Earnest <bob at mainegreendesign.com>

CC: 
<liza at genesisfund.org>, "Bill Glover" <bglover at mainehousing.org>, "Jodie Stevens" <JStevens at mainehousing.org>




Please forgive the group e-mail approach however thought it the most effective and efficient way of conveying important information to the various island communities currently pursuing funding through the MaineHousing island initiative program.
In short,  there have been recent changes in federal law that governs among other things, when, where and how many handicapped accessible units must be provided when undertaking a housing project or program using funding from MaineHousing. 
Originally, it appeared that the island projects would not be affected by dwelling unit accessibility requirements in part due to thresholds in existence at the time the island initiative was established. With relatively recent changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the threshold has changed so that all projects, regardless of the number of units in the project, must be accessible if construction of the project begins on or after march 15th, 2012. That is to say that construction of a single dwelling unit (begun after 3/15/12) will trigger the need to provide at least 5% of the units (or at least 1 unit) with accessible mobility features and an additional 2% of the units (or at least one unit) with accessible communication features that meet the 2010 ADAAG standards (ADA Accessibility Guidelines).
Where a number of islands have yet to submit design plans, I felt the likelihood of a construction start prior to march 15th in the next year was slim and subsequently, the affect of this law may well impact your design options.
Anticipating the inevitable question as to what constitutes “construction start”, please be advised that building demo or ceremonial ground breakings do not qualify. While not specifically clear in the legislation, clearing a wooded lot would also not qualify in my opinion.  Installation of a certain degree of permanent site features such as septic systems, driveways and wells probably qualify as construction start.
Liza… Could you please forward this message to the folks at Long Island. I do not have any contact info for them.
Should you have any specific questions about possible implications to your particular situation, please don’t hesitate to call.

Sincerely,
Norm Fecteau

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