For several months, the Village of Montgomery residents have asked the board to move its meetings to the Montgomery Senior Center, as people with disabilities or handicaps have difficulty participating in meetings at the village hall. Mayor Mike Hembury, during the board’s September 3 meeting, addressed these requests with a compromise that would hopefully make meetings a little more accessible.

Hembury announced that he and Deputy Mayor Darlene Andolsek recently spoke with an attorney who told them that neither the village hall’s second floor nor the senior center was ADA-compliant. He asserted that the board would hold all future meetings on the village hall’s first floor, which is compliant but holds fewer people, and assured that he and the board would work on making the senior center fully compliant.

“The deputy mayor and myself spent over an hour and a half speaking with an attorney about ADA-compliant buildings. We explained our situation about the meetings being up here in the village hall and at the senior center; both here and the senior center are not compliant,” Hembury said. “We said we have a village hall that’s compliant but it only allows 28 people.

“The attorney said we need to keep the meetings downstairs and mark off three to four chairs for people with handicaps,” he continued. “Other than that, that’s what’s compliant, not here or the senior center. We will continue to hold the meetings downstairs.”

Later in the meeting, a few residents raised concerns and suggestions for making the village’s meetings more accessible for everyone. Resident Walt Pahucki suggested that the board provide residents with microphones during public comment and post the meeting recordings on the village website instead of just Facebook.

“One of the things I think we should have are board member microphones for residents. Anyone who goes to the Town of Montgomery knows there’s a podium with a microphone that’s recorded separately. I can project but maybe some people can’t, so maybe microphones will help the people at home to hear it better,” Pahucki said. “I also think that the meetings that are recorded should not just be on the Facebook page, they should also be on the website with the agendas and the minutes.”

Resident Don Berger appreciated the board’s steps toward ADA compliance but asserted that these meetings violated New York State’s Open Meeting Law, as not everyone can attend them in person. He argued that the senior center, while not completely compliant, would still be the best place to hold meetings.

“During one meeting in late July, I was disappointed in a comment that you made Mayor, and it had to do with access here for handicapped folks. You said that they could watch the livestream, they don’t have to come to the meetings. That’s a violation of Open Meetings Law,” Berger said. “The people’s right to witness and observe a governmental decision-making process and action is basic to our society.

“I agree with you that the senior center is not completely done with ADA access but I think it has to do with parking,” He continued. “I believe that they should be down there, that’s the safest place for people with disabilities or handicaps.”

Resident James Kiernan thanked the board for looking into accessibility but agreed with Berger that the meetings should be held in the senior center. He acknowledged that the board has already taken several steps to make meetings more accessible but asserted that most of them have not satisfied residents.

“The supposed, reasonable modifications made by this board and government, including (former Mayor) Steve Brescia, were made over many years, including a ramp to the village hall, online notifications to keep the public informed, keeping meetings on the ground floor, and Facebook Live for those not able to attend meetings,” Kiernan said. “And yet, why do all of us find these modifications inadequate and not good enough for a village we love and value?”

Kiernan then brought up the fact that the village’s New York Forward meetings are held at the senior center, allowing residents to easily watch and participate in those meetings. He requested that the board discuss relocating its meetings to the senior center for the next agenda.

“The NY Forward meetings were held at the senior center with more than enough space for public participation, working microphones, and a reliable sound system to hear all the speakers for all the people at home watching,” Kiernan said. “I formally request on the agenda for the next meeting that a public discussion be held among trustees to relocate all future village meetings to the senior center, which we’ve wanted for months. This will solve a host of problems, including tech issues, parking needs, adequate space, true ADA compliance, and much more.”