[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 141 (Friday, July 21, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 45331-45332]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18515]


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ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD

36 CFR Part 1191

[Docket No. 98-5]
RIN 3014-AA16


Americans With Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines; 
Recreation Facilities

AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

ACTION: Availability of draft final guidelines summary and 
informational meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board 
(Access Board) has placed in the docket for public review and comment a 
summary of recommendations made by an ad hoc committee of the Access 
Board for final accessibility guidelines on recreation facilities. The 
summary placed in the docket reflects the ad hoc committee's 
consideration of comments on a proposed rule and information gathered 
at meetings sponsored by the committee. Comments will be accepted on 
the summary and the Access Board will consider those comments before it 
votes on a final rule. The Access Board will hold informational 
meetings to

[[Page 45332]]

discuss the summary on the dates and at the locations noted below.

DATES: Comments on the summary must be received by September 19, 2000. 
The Access Board will hold informational meetings on the summary on 
August 21-22, 2000 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on September 6-7, 
2000 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Office of Technical and 
Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board, 1331 F Street NW., suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-
1111. Please identify comments as pertaining to this notice of 
availability. Comments will be available for inspection at the above 
address from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on regular business days. The 
informational meeting on August 21-22, 2000 will be held at the Hilton 
Garden Inn, 815 14th Street, NW in Washington, DC. The informational 
meeting on September 6-7, 2000 will be held at the Holiday Inn Golden 
Gateway, 1500 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, CA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Botten, Office of Technical and 
Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board, 1331 F Street, NW., suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-
1111. Telephone number (202) 272-5434 extension 136 (Voice); (202) 272-
5449 (TTY). These are not toll-free numbers. Electronic mail address: 
board.gov">botten@access-board.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1993, the Architectural and 
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) established an 
advisory committee of 27 members to make recommendations on guidelines 
for recreation facilities. The Recreation Access Advisory Committee met 
from July 1993 to May 1994 and submitted a report to the Board, 
``Recommendations for Accessibility Guidelines: Recreational Facilities 
and Outdoor Developed Areas''. The Board has made this report widely 
available as a source of guidance until final guidelines are developed. 
After receiving the committee's report, the Board published it as an 
advance notice of proposed rulemaking (59 FR 48542, September 21, 
1994). Over 600 comments were received on the report and questions 
asked in the advance notice. The Board also sponsored research on 
access to swimming pools in 1995; and held informational meetings and 
site visits on access to miniature golf facilities in September 1996, 
and amusement rides in December 1999 and March and April 2000 to obtain 
additional information for this rulemaking.
    A notice of proposed rulemaking on accessibility guidelines for 
recreation facilities was published in the Federal Register on July 9, 
1999. 64 FR 37326 (July 9, 1999). The comment period was originally 
scheduled to close on November 8, 1999, but was extended until December 
8, 1999 to allow more time for public comments to be submitted. 
Comments were submitted electronically, written, or as oral testimony 
received during two public hearings. Public hearings were held in 
Dallas, TX (August 26, 1999) and Boston, MA (November 17, 1999). Over 
200 people attended the hearings and approximately 54 people provided 
testimony. Approximately 300 comments were received during the public 
comment period.
    The proposed rule covered various recreation facilities, including 
amusement rides, boating facilities, fishing piers and platforms, golf 
courses, miniature golf, sports facilities, and swimming pools and 
spas. The proposed rule provided scoping requirements, which specify 
what has to be accessible, and technical requirements, which spell out 
how access is to be achieved. When finalized, these guidelines will 
supplement the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines 
(ADAAG), which address a wide range of facilities but does not 
currently cover these types of recreation facilities in any particular 
detail.
    The Access Board has created an ad hoc committee of Board members 
to review the comments received on the proposed rule. The ad hoc 
committee has discussed significant issues associated with the comments 
and has made recommendations to the full Board for the final rule. The 
Board has placed a summary of the ad hoc committee's recommendations in 
the rulemaking docket (Docket No. 98-5) for public review. The summary 
is also available on the Access Board's Internet site (http://www.access-board.gov/recreation/summary.htm).
    The summary is being made available for informational purposes and 
for purposes of receiving additional comments from interested parties 
prior to final action. Following a review of any additional comments on 
the summary, the Board will vote on the final rule. In addition to 
welcoming written comments, the Board will be conducting two 
informational meetings to provide the public with an additional 
opportunity to discuss the summary. The informational meetings will be 
informal and interested parties are encouraged to join in discussions 
with Board members and the public on the summary. Preliminary agendas 
for the meetings are as follows:

Washington, DC, Hilton Garden Inn, 815 14th Street, NW
August 21, 2000
8:30 a.m.-12 noon--amusement rides
1:30 p.m.-3 p.m.--amusement rides (continued)
3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.--golf, sports facilities, fishing piers and platforms

August 22, 2000
8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon--boating facilities
1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.--miniature golf, swimming pools and spas

San Francisco, CA, Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, 1500 Van Ness Avenue
September 6, 2000
8:30 a.m.-12 noon--boating facilities
1:30 p.m.-3 p.m.--boating facilities (continued)
3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.--golf, sports facilities, fishing piers and platforms

September 7, 2000
8:30 a.m.-12 noon--amusement rides
1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.--miniature golf, swimming pools and spas

    Interested members of the public are encouraged to contact the 
Access Board at (202) 272-5434 extension 136 or (202) 272-5449 (TTY) to 
preregister to attend the informational meetings.

Lawrence W. Roffee,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 00-18515 Filed 7-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8150-01-P