SOUTHEAST- One of Putnam’s more popular attractions is Tilly’s Table, located at the Tilly Foster Farm in Southeast, where not only fine dining is on the menu but in an adjacent barn converted into a large attraction venue, scores of guests attend special events.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Putnam Legislature’s Physical Services Committee meeting, Kara Steffensen of LaGrangeville queried the lawmakers about the handicapped accessibility of the property.
Steffensen attended a recent event at Tilly’s Table and had been assured that the facility was accessible for a handicapped man using a wheelchair.
“Despite finding handicapped parking and accommodating staff, when my friend attempted to maneuver his wheelchair onto a lift, it became stuck. Several attempts to move the lift failed. There is no ramp into the facility and to top it off when he decided to leave, the gentleman had to use a restroom and when he attempted to enter the facility in the adjacent restaurant, he couldn’t get his chair through a door since it was being used for storage,” she said.
Steffensen said a ramp was needed at Tilly Foster: “What is the protocol in the event of an emergency? I cannot lift a several hundred pound chair containing a 200 pound man: No one here tonight could do that. If there had been a ramp there would have been no issue.”
Committee Chairman William Gouldman thanked Steffensen for her comments and asked Putnam DPW Commissioner Tommy Feighery to address the concerns.
Feighery said the lift had been problematic for some time and a new lift had been ordered which was scheduled to be delivered any day along with the construction of a covered ramp.
The county recently added a new ramp to the Putnam Office Building in Carmel allowing for the facility to become handicapped accessible.
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