Ohio’s first Buc-ees is moving forward on its new Huber Heights store, but some community members are asking the business to do more to make the site accessible to disabled people.
They're pushing the business and city to install adult changing stations or family restrooms.
Representative Stan Beard from Buc-ees came to the Huber Heights Planning Board on Tuesday, July 9, seeking approval of a 125-foot sign for the station.
Some community members asked the board to use the sign as a negotiation tactic to require Buc-ees to build more accessible restrooms.
In addition to community members, the CEO of the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disability Services, Pamela Combs, spoke on behalf of disabled individuals.
"July is disability pride month. It's the largest minority in the United States, those with disabilities. A small segment have developmental disabilities like those gathered here today, but many Americans are disabled," she said. "President Bush on July 26, 1990, signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. That guaranteed access to Americans who had accessibility issues. With our building code, we felt like this would ensure that businesses like Buc-ees would need to make themselves accessible to the large numbers that they are serving."
A number of parents and families of disabled children pleaded their case to Beard and the board, including Kim Kirkwood.
Kirkwood serves as the co-leader for Changing Spaces Ohio. She said this could be an opportunity for Buc-ees to set a new standard for restroom access.
“Like another mom here said, people with disabilities used to be really invisible in our society," she said. "And now they're included, and they're included in schools, and we want them to be completely integrated into our society. And without making facilities that actually accommodate everyone, they can't be totally included.”
Beyond setting a new standard, Kirkwood implored the planning board to see the value of offering a sense of dignity to all individuals who enter a public space like Buc-ees.
“It's better to just offer a family restroom or more than one so that people in those situations can go in and help their loved one and they don't have to be forced into an uncomfortable situation," she said. "No one should have to lay their loved one on a dirty restroom floor to address toileting needs."
Beard didn’t respond to comments during the meeting. But Bu-cees has said the city would have to pay for adult changing tables if they wanted them.
Erica Hubler, a resident and the mother of a disabled adult, said the average cost of these restrooms is about $10,000.
Huber Heights City Planner Aaron Sorrell said the way state building codes are written exempts Buc-ees from being required to install special restrooms.
"For this type of facility, even though it's 74,000 square feet, it has a very low occupancy load, which only requires four restrooms. Despite the fact that Buc-ees is providing 40 or 50, I forget the exact count, by the building code they're only required to provide four. Therefore, the threshold of requiring a family restroom doesn't kick in," he said.
Planning Board member Jim Jeffries understands the community’s concerns, but said the city can’t negotiate signage for an updated restroom plan.
"I am disappointed that more couldn't be done. I hope that Buc-ees will still change their mind because there are so many men's and women's stalls planned in this building. However, there is not a single family restroom in the plan," Kirkwood said.
