Date: Fri 22-May-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Beres-Disabilities-Committee

Full Text:

Disabilities Panel Head Steps Down In Anger

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Angered over what she called the town's lack of respect for the rights of the

disabled, Wendy Beres resigned this week as chairman and member of the Persons

With Disabilities Committee.

She made her announcement at a meeting of the disabilities committee Tuesday

night.

Mrs Beres of 15 Turkey Hill Road submitted her letter of resignation to First

Selectman Herb Rosenthal on Tuesday. Patty Clay and Bob Berkins have also

resigned from the committee.

Mrs Beres chaired the Persons With Disabilities Committee since its inception

back in 1991. The group was first created by then first selectman Zita McMahon

to evaluate the town's handicapped accessibility. The outspoken Newtown

resident has been a vigorous advocate for accessibility, working to ensure

that it complied with the federal government's Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA).

Mrs Beres' committee found several buildings, including Edmond Town Hall, that

were not accessible to the disabled. However, during her resignation speech

Tuesday, she spoke of the town's unwillingness to change its attitude toward

the handicapped.

"We've been giving what I would consider unwanted advice," she said. "I don't

want to butt heads anymore. Years of work, advice, reports, and procedures

written for the benefit of the town by the Persons With Disabilities Committee

have been ignored."

Mrs Beres said she plans to form her own grassroots citizens group for

disabled persons. She believes she will have more clout "out there" rather

than "in here."

Recently, Mrs Beres protested the town's failure to provide handicapped

parking spaces for the budget referendum at the middle school earlier this

month. Her group also criticized the town for allowing the renovated Cyrenius

H. Booth Library to open despite a problem with its handicapped ramp (which

still has not been fixed). Mrs Beres said her frustrations first came to a

head back in 1996 when she sparred with then Planning & Zoning chairman Steve

Adams, who continued to hold meetings in the Alexandria Room at Edmond Town

Hall despite her objections that the building was inaccessible to the

handicapped.

"It's not right that because we're in the minority we don't count," she said,

fighting back tears.

This is not the first time Mrs Beres has looked to send a message to the town

for its alleged lack of compassion for the handicapped. She recently sent her

complaints all the way to the United States Justice Department.

On Wednesday, Mr Rosenthal reacted to Mrs Beres' resignation, saying his

administration has reacted to every recommendation made by her committee.

"I don't know where we have not been cooperative," he said, pointing to a

small cities grant the town recently applied for to help resolve the

handicapped accessibility problems at Edmond Town Hall.

Building Official Tom Paternoster, the town's ADA coordinator, was present at

Tuesday's meeting and took the brunt of Mrs Beres criticism, although he only

recently became involved in the town's handicapped accessibility plight. Much

of the criticism was directed toward Mr Rosenthal, former first selectmen Bob

Cascella, the Legislative Council, the P&Z and the Library Board of Trustees.

Both Mr Paternoster and committee member Art Bennett urged Mrs Beres to

reconsider her resignation. Her mind had already been made up.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley, the town's former ADA coordinator, called

the news of Mrs Beres resignation "unfortunate." He and Mrs Beres were often

at odds. Mr Hurley said he tried to take a "less contentious approach" to

dealing with handicapped accessibility improvements.

"Wendy is a hard worker and she truly does care about this stuff. It's

unfortunate we couldn't work better together," he said Wednesday. "There are

ways to work with people that don't always have to be confrontational."

Mrs Beres first made the headlines more than 10 years ago when she led a

protest against the state's proposal to build the Garner Correctional Facility

in Newtown. She has also been vocal in her opposition to a controversial sand

and gravel operation just down the road from her house.