Lower Level Access

UCE Staff and the Accessibility and Inclusion Team have been working with an architect on plans for a lower level lift. This project has a time priority because the existing stair lift has deteriorated and cannot be repaired. Also, we want to replace it with a lift that does not obstruct the stairway. The main trade-offs appear to be:

1) Location: The lift shaft will be located at the back of the storage room. Two access routes have been determined. The shortest walking distance and least congestion can be had by going thru the Annex wall at the base of the interior ramp. Access from the Sanctuary level entails walking twice the distance and traversing an often congested ramp and sanctuary lobby. Blue and green tape will be temporarily placed on the lobby floor to show these walking paths.

2) Ease of use: A Limited Use/Limited Access lift (LULA) has all the conveniences of an enclosed hydraulic elevator, complies with Universal Access design, but cannot handle heavy loads. It needs a substantial foundation, a tall shaft, and a separate machine room. A Vertical Platform Lift(VPL) has served UCE’s “loft” offices since 2002 with no maintenance cost. A VPL is slow, only half enclosed, and limited to mobility impaired persons. It requires continual pressure on a safety switch for activation. Both of these options feature a 42” x 60” platform. Further information on these lifts is available at the Lower Level Access display in the UCE lobby.

3) Cost: After many attempts, i.e. Studies A thru E, we have agreed on three main options. These vary in cost from $124,000 to $157,000. Currently $127,000 has been pledged. Drawings of the Study F and Study G options are shown in the UCE display. Study B (a fallback) and Study H are variants of F and G. They do not need a machine room and substitute a VPL for the LULA at the same location.

Study F: LULA with access thru the glass-block wall near the Sanctuary entrance. $138,869.
Study B: VPL variant of Study F. $92,139
Study G: LULA with access thru the Annex wall at the base of the interior ramp. $156,924.
Study H: VPL variant of Study G. $124,050.

The A&I Team is seeking your pledge, by June 20th, to pay for one of these options. Pledge online by clicking here. Pledge cards are also available at the UCE display or you can mail this form to UCE, attention Carli Magel. If we cannot achieve any of the three more expensive goals by June 20th, none of the pledges will be collected and construction will begin using the Study B design. Ribbon cutting is projected to take place in September and all pledges must be paid by then.