Village awards $80K contract to build library ADA ramp

Valley Stream Village Board of Trustees awarded on Sept. 16 a nearly $80,000 contract to the Port Washington-based Cow Bay Inc. to construct an American with Disabilities Act ramp at the Henry Waldinger Public Library.

The ramp will allow wheelchair-bound employees to access the entire library facility, according to Library Director Mamie Eng. The project will be paid for partially through a state grant with the rest funded by the village.

“If an employee were to need a wheelchair, it would be nearly impossible for them to have access to all over the building,” she said. “We as a public facility have an obligation to make the building handicap accessible for all, and this includes staff.”

The ramp is to be located at the delivery and employee entrance and exit area on the north side of the building and will replace a staircase that has fallen into disrepair, Eng said. She hopes that it will encourage more people with mobility issues to work at the library.

“The new ADA ramp will expand the amount of people that can be hired because it gives us the option of hiring more people of all abilities,” she said. “Even though the public already has a regular ramp on the south side of the building, this new ramp will increase the flexibility of the building, by providing easier access to the building for employees and an extra exit for the handicap public in case of emergencies.”

The village received bids from five contractors, and selected Cow Bay because it offered the lowest price for its services, and has a reputation as a reliable contractor, according to Eng. The construction is slated for completion in January.