Village Mulls Use of 'Mobi-Chair' for Graydon Pool

With plans to construct a controversial handicap ramp on hiatus, the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation department will meet Tuesday to decide if it should accept a donation of a beach-based wheelchair for a 30-day trial period at Graydon Pool.

Cedar Grove-based company Deschamps has offered to allow the village to use a $2,000 "Mobi-Chair" free of cost for a 30-day period, with an option to buy at a 10 percent discount at the conclusion of the trial run. The chair was delivered to the Parks and Recreation Department on Friday.

The chair – which floats – would allow persons with accessibility issues to access Graydon Pool. Its use has been recommended by the Preserve Graydon Coalition, a resident group.

"It's free – let's take it for a couple of weeks," Councilman Tom Riche suggested at last week's council meeting. "Maybe it will help a couple of people."

Funding for the 40-foot long handicap ramp – opposed by Preserve Graydon – was approved by the council about six months ago. Since then, the DEP has held up the process. The ramp isn't likely to be ready until summer of 2014 at earliest. Fair Lawn has offered Ridgewood residents with accessibility issues the opportunity to use its municipal pool for summer of 2013.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn, an ardent supporter of the handicap ramp, said the Mobi-Chair may help out some individuals, but it isn't a complete solution.

"The Mobi-Chair is a chair that could help part of the population," he said, pointing to quadripeligics without access to water as one example.

Village Manager Ken Gabbert expressed concern over the use of the Mobi-Chair.

"Our ramps are too narrow for the Mobi-Chair," he remarked. "The use of the chair is not recommended by staff until the new ADA ramp is in place."