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A federal law passed in 1990 requires all towns and counties to have an ADA transition plan.
Davie County doesn’t have one. Neither do most counties in this area.
Brad Blackwelder, Davie’s director of general services, said he got a phone call late last year from a consulting company asking about the county’s plan. He had never heard of it, so he began to research.
“A lot of counties do not have one,” he said. “Most are in municipalities, with sidewalks.”
Blackwelder spoke from a full-size lecturn while addressing the board. “If you had an ADA requirement on this lecturn, it would be, ‘how are you going to accommodate someone in a wheelchair?” Compliance deals with more than just entrances and exits. Counter tops would have to be of different heights, bathrooms accessible, elevators.
While the county doesn’t have a plan, there was no mention of penalities, other than Blackwelder saying the law passed in 1990 has provisions for fines for non-compliance.
Mark Jones, board chair, pointed out that the county has been working on ADA compliance for years: Cooperative Extension was moved because of issues in the county office building; the third floor of the county courthouse is being renovated in part to make it ADA compliant; voting sites were moved to make them more accessible; and conversations are ongoing about the entrance to the Davie County Public Library.
Blackwelder said the plan must include all parts of all 28 county properties, from the parking areas to sidewalks to entrances to making it possible for all individuals to conduct county business. The compliance must be for employees and customers
The plan must include a timeline of what improvements will be made and when.
“It is a long-term goal and fix, not overnight,” Blackwelder said.
Board chair, Mark Jones, asked if a government agency had contacted the county about not having plan. Blackwelder said no, it was just a consulting firm, a firm that Commissioner Richard Poindexter said would make from $50,000-$75,000 developing the plan for the county.
County Manager Brian Barnett said ADA compliance is considered on all construction projects, and most issues reported to him are from employees. He knew of no instance where a resident had complained.
“There is no timetable for this to be completed, because it has to be affordable,” Barnett said. “We do these things as we can afford it.”
Since the issue came up at a commissioner work session, no decision was made. Blackwelder presented a plan that would take affect in July of 2026, and include a fee for a consultant.