Letter to the editor - March 15

Planners sleeping — Do not disturb

The new hospital building at Cannon Air Force Base is really nice, except for the one thing — the handicapped parking area.

While it appears to have more handicapped spaces than the old building, they’re also too far from the entrance.

When a person applies for a handicapped parking permit, one qualifier is that the applicant cannot walk more than 100 feet at a time. These spaces exceed that distance and if more walking is required inside the building, we could be looking at a coronary event or a broken hip.

It seems the planners were more interested in aesthetics than with function, convenience and safety. This building boasts a very neat rock lawn in the front and around the sides in the area that should have been designated for handicapped parking.

Not only that, but the walkway to the front entrance from the parking area is sloped just enough for an elderly person to fall — especially during icy weather. And if they’re manipulating a wheelchair, they could skid right out into traffic. Not a very encouraging picture of a structure built with taxpayer money.

It all reminds me of a situation that took place in Tacoma, Washington, a while back. At the downtown bus transfer station they were ramping the curbs for wheelchair traffic to cross the street. Lo and behold, they ramped one side of the street, but not the other. I actually saw a man in a wheelchair get caught in the midst of vehicular traffic while trying to make it to the corner, which was ramped.

So the gist is that people who “sign off” on construction plans should pay more attention so that reconstruction can be avoided.

Bill Sconone

Clovis