Ahead of Thursday’s Independence Day celebration in Racine, a disability rights group in Wisconsin is calling on local officials to ensure there are more handicap-accessible parking spaces.
Hannah Balder, an attorney with the Wisconsin Disability Rights Association, contacted Public Investigator Monday about a Racine resident who had approached the nonprofit about parking during the Racine Fourth Annual Festival parade and fireworks display.
At the time, the event’s website said the fireworks display “will be busy so be prepared to walk a bit…The City of Racine does not have handicapped parking for the fireworks display. Handicapped parking is available but is very limited.”
As of Tuesday, the statement that the city does not have designated handicapped parking spaces has been removed from the site.
In a letter to Racine City Attorney Scott Letteny, Balder said the issue is one of “inclusivity.”
“People with disabilities have the right to celebrate alongside their neighbors, friends and family,” Balder wrote.
Public Investigators reached out to the City Attorney’s Office and Fourth Festival Chairman Jake Lovedahl on Tuesday to get information about handicapped parking.
“It’s never really been an issue or a topic of conversation before,” Lovedal told Public Investigator. “The accessible space will remain available to the public on that day for the rest of the year.”
Lobdahl said the statement on the website was meant to alert residents that parking will be limited during the fireworks display, not the parade. He said on-street parking will be available in surrounding areas during both events.
Shawn Ryan, a spokesman for the Racine City Attorney’s Office, told Public Investigator that the description of “extremely limited” parking on the website refers to a parking lot near Kid’s Cove, a playground near North Beach where the fireworks display will be held.
The parking lot has six handicap parking spaces, Ryan said.
Lobdahl confirmed that the rest of the car park will be closed to the public and reserved for VIP parking.
The fourth annual festival’s highest donor tier will provide event sponsors with 50 passes to the VIP party and four VIP parking passes if they donate $5,000 to the event program.
The parade has drawn tens of thousands of people in recent years, Racine County Eye reported.
Where is handicapped parking at Racine 4th Festival?
In response to Balder’s request, Retteney proposed a list of nearby parking lots near the 2.6-mile parade route and the lakeside fireworks display.
The parking lots he listed include those near the Racine Zoo, Gold Street, Festival Hall, Kipi Kawi Causeway and Gateway Technical College, all of which have handicapped parking spaces, he said.
“People will be able to easily access Main Street to watch the parade and will also be able to view the fireworks from that vantage point,” Letteny wrote.
He said the city of Racine is not organizing the fourth annual festival but is acting as a sponsor.
But Balder responded that some of the parking lots Retteney recommended are one to three miles away from Racine’s North Beach.
“Confining them to a parking lot miles away from the celebration not only violates the (Americans with Disabilities Act) but is an affront to the values of freedom and independence that are at the heart of this celebration,” Balder said in an email to Retteney.
Are there plans to provide more accessible parking in the future?
Balder recommended two alternatives for how the city could accommodate people with disabilities in the future, including designating the parking lot near Kidz Cove as fully handicapped parking.
Additionally, Balder asked the city of Racine to consider providing shuttle transportation from parking lots farther away from North Beach.
The Public Investigator asked Ryan whether these recommendations would be considered for this year’s celebration or future Independence Day programming.
Ryan declined to provide further details about future plans or respond directly to Balder’s recommendations.
The fourth annual Greater Racine Festival fireworks display will begin at 8:45 p.m. on July 4. The fireworks display will also be broadcast on YouTube starting 10 minutes before the show begins.
Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at [email protected].
