By Beth David, Editor
During the week of January 25, work began to build an ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant wheelchair ramp and a new entrance at the Fairhaven Academy Building.
The building, built in 1798, is the home of the Fairhaven Office of Tourism and Visitors Center as well as the museum operated by the Fairhaven Historical Society. The project is being undertaken by the Fairhaven Historical Commission with funding provided through the Community Preservation Act.
A window on the north side of the building will be converted to a door, which will open into the Visitors Center. A ramp will run from the door to the high school parking lot, which currently has several spaces of dedicated parking for the Academy Building. Outdoor lights will be added to illuminate the ramp at night.
The ramp and rear entrance are phase one of a two part plan to make the building more accessible.
The Office of Tourism will remain open regular hours during most of the construction. The project will be completed before the busier season for the Visitors Center picks up in the spring.
A second phase addressing the steps and front door of the Academy will be undertaken separately with another round of funding once the ramp is completed.
Wayne Oliveira, the chairperson of the Historical Commission, said the project had a few delays for a variety of reasons, mostly that the bids came in too high. He said the architect did not estimate the cost of the project high enough. Town Meeting had to approve the funds, but then the bids came in too high, so the commission and the Community Preservation Committee had to go back to town meeting to get more funding. The whole project is being funded with CPA money.
“There was a little anxiety trying to get the thing off the ground,” said Mr. Oliveira, adding that it is an all volunteer group of people who had to learn about procurement laws.
Kneeland Construction Corporation came in with a bid that fit the parameters, and started work last week.
The ramp is going in the back of the building to preserve the historical nature of the front.
“Really, the front is the beauty of that building,” said Mr. Oliveira.
The outside work is ongoing now. In order to minimize any disruption to the office’s work, the workers will break through the wall on a Wednesday, when the visitors center is closed.
“It just entails a little interior work to make it blend,” he said, such as painting and trim work. “It should be a nice project.”
Mr. Oliveira said the company is reputable and has been told that the building is a “real gem,” and to treat it with “kid gloves.”
He said the commission will do what it can to make the ramp in back blend in with the landscape. They will use shrubs and other plants to make it blend in.
The second phase of the project will be to reconstruct the front entrance to make it ADA “friendly,” he said.
There will not be a ramp, but the steps will be rebuilt to be easier to navigate, according to the specifications in the ADA, and railings will be added.
He said they will be made “historically correct.”
The commission will need to go back to the CPC to ask for more funds for the front of the building.
The project started a few years ago when David Despres was the chairperson of the commission. Each step takes time, said Mr. Oliveira, drawing plans, getting funding, getting bids.
“Time goes by and before you know it’s one year after the next,” he said.
But now they are finally breaking ground.
“People like to see things taken care of, getting fixed up,” he said.
The new ramp and steps will make it easier for more people to access the building, “getting as many folks in there as possible,” he said. “It definitely has to be done.”
The museum, unfortunately, is on the second floor and will still not be wheelchair accessible. But a classroom on the first floor and other artifacts will be open to the public when the visitors center is open.
The building is located 141 Huttleston Avenue, adjacent to Fairhaven High School. To learn more about the building, visit https://fairhaventours.com/fairhaven-visitor-centermuseum-of-fairhaven/
Contact the Fairhaven Office of Tourism at 508-979-4085, or visit https://fairhaventours.com
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