Three of the City of Lathrop’s most-used facilities are about to become more ADA compliant.

Next week the City of Lathrop will close the bidding process for a project that will replace the dual-swinging doors of the Lathrop Senior Center, Lathrop Community Center, and Lathrop Generations Center with an automated door that is more wheelchair-friendly – adhering to the city’s commitment to make its facilities more ADA accessible.

The window for bids to be submitted will close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 10.

Earlier this spring the Lathrop City Council authorized spending $81,000 to overhaul the Lathrop Council Chambers to be more ADA-compliant – including the construction of a new wheelchair ramp that is within the specifications called for in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The existing ramp was found to be too steep and not wide enough, and the work that was completed required the removal of the existing access ramp to the dais and the construction of a new one – which appears to the outside to be a wooden step but contains a hidden ramp that can be removed and locked into place for when access is needed.

While it has been several years, the focus of ADA Compliance became a hot topic for local governments and businesses after Carmichael attorney Scott Johnson began peppering businesses with lawsuits claiming that he was discriminated against because the business was not in compliance with the ADA.

Johnson uses a wheelchair.

After filing more than 4,000 lawsuits across the State of California where he was named as the plaintiff, Johnson found himself in court late last year when he was charged with underreporting the proceeds from those lawsuits for tax purposes.

Last month Johnson was sentenced to 18 months of home confinement for the violations.

For additional information about the scope of the work being conducted at City Hall or other business conducted during the meeting earlier this month, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.