Changes at the voting precinct inside the former National Guard Armory to improve its handicapped accessibility were a topic for both the Marion County Board of Supervisors and the Columbia Board of Aldermen this week.
City and county engineer Jeff Dungan told officials that, according to Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan, grants are available to make some of the polling places throughout the county more handicapped accessible.
The armory precinct is one of the busiest in the county. For example, it had more than 950 votes cast in Tuesday’s primaries — the most out of the county’s 22 polling places.
The building is owned and used by the city but is a county voting precinct. Dungan approached both boards to discuss splitting the cost of making it more handicapped accessible once the funding Nolan received has been applied.
Dungan presented a drawing to both boards laying out the plans for the changes. Included in the drawing was allowing for some handicapped parking on the south side of the building with direct access to the voting room.
In the plans would be a stone or crushed concrete parking lot, concrete pavement, concrete sidewalk and moving the fence.
“It would just give it a lot better access,” Dungan said to the city board.
Dungan received three bids on the project with the lowest being $31,800.
Dungan advised both boards he would get with Nolan to determine how much of the grant received will be applied to this in order to give both boards a better idea of each entity’s cost.
County supervisors approved splitting the cost with the city once the grant has been applied.
At the city meeting, aldermen tabled the motion until the next meeting to allow time to see if the funds are available for the project.
Nolan said she has to submit the plans of the proposed changes before she will know how much will be received.
Nolan said technically the voting precinct is Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant but the proposed changes will make it better.
She said the changes should be in place by November’s election.
Pictured Above: Columbia and Marion County officials are considering making improvements to the voting precinct inside the former National Guard Armory that will improve accessibility for the handicapped. | Photo by Susan Amundson
