By james art 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — After a viewer raised concerns about the lack of handrails at Legion Field, CBS 42 Your Voice Your Station has learned that it is one of several stadiums in Alabama that is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. disabilities (ADA). .
With the Magic City Classic coming up this weekend, we checked back to see what the plan is for them to be installed.
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design say handrails must run the entire length of stairs. Alabama adopted the standards in 2011, but Legion Field still doesn’t have railings where they should be.
Since our report more than a year ago, Birmingham Parks and Recreation Director Shona Eddins-Bennett said the department has taken some steps toward installation — such as starting the process in April to be recognized as a historic landmark.
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“We’re still working on it,” Eddins-Bennett said. “Hopefully, with the increase in tailgates, we can really use those funds to put railings all over the stadium.”
Charging costs are more than three times the price of last year.
When we did our investigation into the railings last year, Birmingham Park and Recreation told us it would cost $750,000 to install them throughout the stadium.
Vice Principal Ronald Hicks said that based on the number of seats in the stadium, they need to install five percent of Legion Field with handrails. The plan is to do this on the lower bowl.
“We only have to do a certain number of railings to participate,” Hicks said. “We’re not just going to wind it all the way up, it’s just going to be determined.”
Hicks said they are currently taking bids. Birmingham Park and Recreation said it is still waiting to hear back from the state about making it a historic landmark.
We contacted the Alabama Historical Commission for an update on how long it might take Birmingham to find out, and learned that it never received a National Register nomination for Legion Field.
We received this statement from the Alabama Historical Commission:
“Further information was requested from the City of Birmingham but none was received.”
Alabama Historical Commission
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