From Mayor Fuller’s newsletter:

Thanks to the hard work and leadership of Jini Fairley, the City of Newton Americans With Disabilities Act Coordinator, our Commissioners on Disability, and staff from our Parks, Recreation and Culture Department, we have a new, state-of-the-art water-accessible wheelchair. This Mobi-Chair allows swimmers to move across the beach and get safely and easily into the water at Crystal Lake. The funding for the Mobi-Chair came from fines for illegal parking in handicapped spots which the Commission on Disability approved.

Thanks, too, to State Representative Ruth Balser who secured $100,000 in the recently passed state budget requested by the City for two additional projects at Crystal Lake. The Parks, Recreation & Culture Department will invest $75,000 for accessibility improvements within and around the park and beach area. The remaining $25,000 will go towards the Levingston Cove improvement project which will include a platform with a modified accessible railing to allow for small children and folks who use a wheelchair to enjoy fishing.