Newton resident urges school district to add handrails at H.A. Lynn Stadium

Tom Hollander has spent many decades spectating Newton High School football games from the east side bleachers at H.A. Lynn Stadium, but “humility is starting to set in” these past few years and he has realized he and his wife cannot climb the stairs anymore without the assistance of handrails.

The Newton resident urged school board members during their public meeting on Sept. 9 to install handrails on the east and west side bleachers. But this is not his first time trying to get officials to lobby the district to improve accessibility. He said he has sent emails from as far back as 2022 saying the same thing.

“During that time, the school district has gotten improvements at the football field — including new surfacing, new scoreboard — a new middle school track, the ADA-approved bleachers, a softball diamond with ADA-approved bleachers, baseball diamond with ADA-approved bleachers,” Hollander said.

While Hollander and his wife are grateful of the ADA-approved bleachers at the baseball and softball diamonds, he said it is time for the district to move forward with making the football stadium more accessible. Hollander said the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was approved in 1990.

“That’s 34 years ago,” he said.

As much as it is a personal issue Hollander wants resolved, he said it is also a community issue that has likely affected spectators for a long time.

“Because I never thought 40 years ago, 30 years ago, 10 years ago that there were people there having the same issue that I’m having today,” Hollander said. “And at Friday night at the game I would have been trying to navigate those steps and the new play thing they have at the new stadium is the new strobe lights.”

For a person with balance issues, that could create hardships, Hollander argued. It was already hard enough to go up the stairs with the lights on, he said. The easiest way to resolve the issue, Hollander added, would be for him and his wife to stop going to games. But that’s not what he wants either.

School board member Ray Whipple has called for ADA improvements ever since he was elected in 2021. Whipple was happy to see Hollander came to the school board meeting and brought up the conversation again. He told Newton News the board will likely have a discussion item about it at a future board meeting.

It is safe to say Whipple agrees with Hollander.

“I think we need to look at all of our district ADA wise, and I think that’s what we’re planning on doing,” Whipple said in a recent phone interview. “I think we’re planning on having the principals come in and give us their view of anything their building might need ADA wise.”

Whipple’s push for improved ADA accessibility comes from his background as a special education teacher for 20 years. He saw first hand the struggles some students faced trying to get to classes. But making ADA improvements can be costly, especially when a number of buildings were already grandfathered in.

For instance, Whipple wagered if the district installed handrails to the stadium bleachers then it is likely other areas will need to be brought up to ADA standards. Whipple said the district is in pretty good shape except for the high school and the stadium.

“We’ve made lots of improvements around the district, so now it’s time to start thinking what we can do ADA wise,” Whipple said. “At least, that’s my opinion.”