Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act was the subject of broad community discussion at the Dec. 5 city council meeting.

Army veteran and resident Bryan McCrickerd, who lost the use of his legs while serving, pointed to the ramp in the Rotunda as emblematic of his experience living in the city. “This right here is supposed to be one inch inclined for every 12 inches.”

McCrickerd claims Ordinance 531 9-2, “no obstructions on the sidewalks” is not being respected or enforced by city officers. He gave a few examples of vehicles blocking passage and police officers reinforcing the ordinance. He also said snow removal and city ramps are not to code. “Every time I go out somewhere, I have to figure out where the roads are torn up.

“I’m sorry about the way I feel but you know what, it’s getting ridiculous. I pay taxes, and I served this country. I’m like a third-rate citizen.”

At the end of the evening, Councilwoman Rachel Leon asked Police Chief Michelle Kott what her officers can do if a roadway is blocked, as has been mentioned, and they are called. “Is there a role for the police in getting vehicles towed that are blocking ADA or is that the parking authority?”

Unable to address specifics, Kott spoke with McCrickert following the meeting.

Mark and Sally Will-Weber were back at council with an update on their water meter issue. They announced the creation of their Facebook watchdog page “The Drip” as a way for citizens to share their stories and concerns.

Abiel Solitario addressed council with her own water story of returning from a trip to a city bill showing usage of 48,000 gallons of water.

“I’m here to let you know that this is happening to a few people, at least in the Bethlehem area. And when we do call the water department, we get put on, or at least I can speak for myself that I got put on hold for a couple of hours, and then it just hung up,” said Solitario.

She concluded, “We are being charged a lot, and there doesn’t seem to be a process trying to figure out what the actual problem is, whether it’s the water meter or something different.”

Later in the evening, Director of Water and Sewer Resources Ed Boscola defended the water meter system. “Generally speaking, if people have questions about their bills, they contact us and we try and resolve the issue. Our metering infrastructure is very reliable, and we try and find out from the customers who have higher than normal usage what could possibly happen. Nine times out of 10, it’s because of some real world usage, either a leak, faucet running, something is running in the backyard, you name it.”

Boscola did concede, “There are cases, that are very rare, the cause is indeterminate.”