SILVER BAY – This Spring, Greg and Tammy Daniels of Silver Bay knew that the wheelchair ramp on the front deck of their house needed to be replaced with an ADA-compliant one. Greg knew that a new ramp would likely not meet the city setback requirements for their lot, so he contacted Gary Thompson, a local building official, to find out what he needed to do to comply.
Thompson is part of a group of authorized building officials in northeast Minnesota. They meet every few months to discuss building issues and receive continuing education credits.
Explaining a service project the group performs, Thompson said, “For the past many, many, many years, they have been doing a ramp project each June. They volunteer with Access North, the Center for Independent Living of Northeastern Minnesota. Its mission is “Assisting individuals with disabilities to live independently, pursue meaningful goals, and have the same opportunities and choices as all people.” Its Ramp Project provides ADA-compliant ramps for people with disabilities. The ramps are modular, made of wood, require no footings, and can be temporary or more permanent. The ramps are installed by a project supervisor and community volunteers.
When speaking with Greg Daniels, Thompson immediately thought of the Access North ramp project and reached out to its Access Coordinator, Jason Worlie. Access North has completed more than 2,000 ADA-compliant ramps. Worlie traveled to Silver Bay, inspected the Daniels property, and found that they could design, build, deliver, and install a new ramp for them.
Thompson rallied five of his fellow building officials to work on the project. Worlie was the project supervisor leading the volunteer crew of Thompson, Pat Green, Robert Brown, Mike Lowry, Matt Munter, and Adam Schminski.
The ramp modules arrived in Silver Bay for the June 11 installation. Worlie and his crew went right to work at 9 a.m., and by 1:30 that afternoon, the Daniels had a fully ADA-compliant ramp on the front of their house.
“We were surprised and happy,” said Greg Daniels. “It took less than two weeks to get the ramp put in.” The Daniels were moved to learn that one of the construction volunteers was 78 years old.
The project represents a gift that will keep on giving. Whenever the day comes that the Daniels no longer require the structure, the modular ramp will be disassembled and returned to Access North. From there, it will be cleaned, transported, and reinstalled at another home in the region—continuing a decades-long cycle of providing independence and accessibility to neighbors across the Arrowhead.
