Silver Bay couple gets ADA-compliant ramp through volunteer program

Greg and Tammy Daniels got a new ADA-compliant front-deck ramp at their Silver Bay home this spring after Gary Thompson, a local building official, helped them work through a setback concern on the lot. Thompson organized five fellow officials, and Jason Worlie of Access North supervised the crew so the couple could replace a ramp that no longer met their needs.

Greg Daniels knew the old ramp needed to be rebuilt, but he also knew a new one could trigger a code problem on the property. Thompson, who belongs to a group of authorized building officials in northeastern Minnesota, has handled similar questions through a recurring ramp project that has operated for years.

Access North, the Center for Independent Living of Northeastern Minnesota, runs the ramp project on a sliding-fee scale. The organization says the ramps are modular, built of wood, require no footings, and can be temporary or more permanent, a setup that lets the work fit homes that need fast help or a longer-term accessibility fix. Access North says ramps like these can be the difference between someone returning home and living in an institution.

Worlie traveled to Silver Bay, inspected the Daniels property, and determined the group could design, build, deliver and install a new ramp. Thompson then brought in Pat Green, Robert Brown, Mike Lowry, Matt Munter and Adam Schminski to help with the build, giving the project both local code knowledge and hands-on labor.

Access North says it has completed more than 2,000 ADA-compliant ramps. The finished ramp at the Daniels home is not the end of the project’s life cycle, either. After it serves the family in Silver Bay, it will be cleaned, transported and reused at another home elsewhere in northeastern Minnesota.

The work also landed inside Minnesota’s accessibility rules. The state’s 2020 Minnesota Accessibility Code took effect March 31, 2020, and state rules for accessible building entrances require an exterior accessible route with compliant components, including walking surfaces no steeper than 1:20, doors and doorways, curb ramps, elevators or platform lifts. For local building officials, that framework shapes how a ramp can be approved, built and kept safe for daily use.

Access North also identifies itself as a community resource for disability-related training and services, including independent living skills training, information and referral, advocacy, peer mentoring and transition to community services.