After a fire destroyed the Wilson Park concession stand in 2011, the Village of Mineola set up a mobile snack stand while plans were made to restore the former stand to its pre-fire operational state.
However, since the original stand was built before the implementation of the Americans for Disabilities Act, the new construction must be ADA-compliant.
An engineering services contract with Dvirka & Bartilucci for the handicapped accessibility improvements and repairs to the Wilson Park bathroom and concession building was approved by the village board during its December 5 meeting at the village hall for $69,000 along with an estimated cost of $375,000 in construction. Part of the cost also includes about $11,500 for a fire sprinkler system that is also required.
“Now that we do have to do, make the repair work,” superintendent of public works Tom Rini said, “we have to be ADA compliant with the reconstruction of the bathroom and the concession area including both people coming to the counter as well as potentially people working in the concession area, as well as then making all of the walkways and ramps to the building compliant with ADA requirements. So that’s why some of this becomes an issue cost-wise.”
The interior sizes of the bathroom and concession area all must be changed and enlarged. The village will also have to bring in a second water line from Westbury Avenue through the park to supply the sprinkler system with an isolated water supply.
“Unfortunately when you touch an old structure like this, it just starts to snowball in the activities that you have to do to become compliant,” Rini said. “And that’s why that number is as high as it is, unfortunately. But in the end it will be a nice facility.”
The village has received some insurance payments for the fire at the old concession stand to use in the reconstruction, but Rini was unsure of what percentage it would be to cover the cost of the new improvements.
