ADA Expectations: Broken Elevator at Greenwich Train Station is Town’s Responsibility

Two weeks ago a well attended event in Greenwich marked the 34 year anniversary since the ADA was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush to ensure the civil rights of people with disabilities.

The event was organized by the office of the First Selectmen, and included the commissioner of Human Services, members of his Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, and the four members of the Greenwich delegation.

Some of the context for the event included disagreements over intersection improvements on Greenwich Ave, including shortened crosswalks that First Selectman Fred Camillo and the DPW say are required to comply with the ADA law.

Beyond bringing public schools into ADA compliance, questions of accessibility are now front and center in the main business district.

The metal A-frame signs that proliferated on Greenwich Ave in recent years have been removed. However people have opined that the new tree wells with their protruding Belgian block borders are a trip hazard.

Two of the new 4 ft x 8 ft tree wells at the bottom of Greenwich Ave. June 9, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager

The fate of a Honey Locust tree at 125 Greenwich Ave outside Shreve Crump & Low drew a number of people to a Zoom hearing last week. The trees roots are causing some heaving of the sidewalk and Mr. Camillo said it was a hazard.  But several townspeople urged the town to come up with a workaround that would spare the healthy tree.

On Monday, the tree warden issued an opinion urging efforts be made to spare the tree.

At his Aug 9 radio show on WGCH 1490am, a caller said the broken elevator in Greenwich train station posed a challenge to anyone with mobility issues.

The elevator is an alternative to the flight of stairs from ground level at Railroad Ave to the waiting room and southbound train platform.

The caller said the elevator had been out of service even prior to the start of the renovation of the north side of Greenwich Plaza, where the demolition of the movie theater building has been a highlight of the summer.

A sign on the elevator in the lobby explains that the alternative access to the New York bound platform is via the  New Haven northbound platform. From that platform it is possible to use the twin elevators to go up and across the pedestrian bridge.

Signage at the lobby level elevator at Greenwich train station. Aug 11, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager

Signage at the ground level elevator at Greenwich train station. Aug 11, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager

Twin elevators connect the northbound and southbound train platforms via a pedestrian bridge the Greenwich Train station. Aug 11, 2024

“I’ve been following all the ADA stuff – the ceremony and everything,” the caller said to Camillo.  “Why is the elevator in the train station still broken? It’s been weeks and weeks and weeks, meaning nobody with any needs can get up to the platform to go into the city.”

“I didn’t know that, and it’s all privately owned,” Camillo said. “That whole area is going to be redone and it shouldn’t be a problem going forward.”

“It’s been months before they even started construction,” the caller said.

Mr. Camillo said he was unaware about the elevator situation and would contact the developer.

As it turns out, Kim DePra, director of Marketing & Communications for The Ashforth Company, explained in an email on Monday, “While we own the train station lobby, the Town of Greenwich is responsible for maintaining the elevator in the Train Station and is aware of the problem and has been working to address it.”

“After the new renovation is complete, the existing elevator equipment will be fully replaced and the path from the elevator to the train platform will be more direct and more visible through the removal of the obsolete ConnDot/Metro-North ticketing and service areas, so we are all hopeful that things will improve significantly post-renovation.”

An email to the First Selectman’s office and the head of Building Construction & Maintenance on Monday was not returned.

More information Greenwich Crossing, the new name for the north side of Greenwich Plaza complex, is available online.

Staircase inside the Greenwich train station photographed at the event to announce initial plans for renovations. July 9, 2019 Photo: Leslie Yager