OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Questions surrounding this wall and ramp at M&T Bank on Main Street in Fredonia came up at a recent Board of Trustees meeting.

A new wall on the sidewalk next to M&T Bank in Fredonia, built as part of a new handicapped access ramp, is upsetting a few people.

The Fredonia Board of Trustees asked a state Department of Transportation representative, Kelly Morrissey, to clarify some things about the project at a meeting earlier this morning. Members of the public expressed concerns about the wall at previous board meetings.

“I’m perfectly fine with the access… the wall, to me, serves no absolutely purpose,” Trustee David Bird said. “It also blocks our ability to plow and clean the sidewalks. Also, it doesn’t fit in to the characteristics of the village in any way, shape or form that I see.

“So, I’m just going to put it out here: I don’t want the wall, I don’t think the wall belongs there and I don’t think it has any business on that street,” he added.

Trustee Jon Espersen asked Morrissey if the wall and ramp met Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. She said it did and added it also met public right-of-way accessibility guidelines.

Bird asked if the project would meet the requirements without a wall. Morrissey said something was required to be at the edge of the ramp as a safety item, such as a railing.

“You need something there to prevent people from tipping off the edge of the ramp. So yes, the wall serves that purpose,” she said.

“If the wall were to stay, they would need to add railings on both sides … if there were no wall, something needs to be there,” such as standalone railings.

Trustee James Lynden said he was in favor of the entire project — the handicapped access because the bank did not have a good one before, and the wall as well. He said the state approved the design. “It is within the character and design of our downtown area — whether somebody feels differently or not, it was approved,” he said.

Espersen noted the previous village Board of Trustees had also approved the project.

“If the prior representatives of the village approved that design… we can’t undo everything a prior board did because we don’t like it. Then it would just be chaos,” he said.

Bird said his biggest worry was that it would negatively affect sidewalk cleaning in the area. Lynden replied that while the village clears sidewalks as a courtesy, their condition is ultimately up to the owner.

Morrissey said DOT safety experts have reviewed the project and didn’t find anything amiss. Bird reiterated that he didn’t have a problem with the ramp, only with the wall.