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To Anyone,
The college is in the process of updating a 75 seat tier lecture classroom in a building that was constructed in the 80's. We have made accommodation for wheel chair bound handicap students on the ground floor and we will update the rest of the building to the new accessibility code. My question is that we are being told that we have to provide wheel chair access to all levels of the tier seating area in the classrooms because that is what is called for in Chapter 11 of the FBC. I am contending that since the building was constructed prior to Oct.1st 1997 that it is exempt from this requirement and since this space is classified as an small assembly  space and it has less than 300 seat it is also exempt so long as we provide wheel chair accessibility on the accessibility route and we are able to accommodate other disability students spread within the upper levels of the tier seating. The college has two of these classrooms and if we are required to bring them up to accommodate wheel chair accessibility on all levels of the tier seating will make it financially unfeasible for the college to proceed with the updating of this space.
Can someone offer some classification on which opinion is correct or not correct and how should we proceed with our project?
Thanks,

John L. Evans, AIA, CBO
College Architect & Certified Building Official
St. Petersburg College
Phone # (727) 341-3262
P Think Green! Please do not print this e-mail unless necessary

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