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Heavy-duty wheelchairs proposal for St. Augustine visitors

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Old brick roads are part of the charm of downtown St. Augustine... but they're not so charming for people who use wheelchairs. One man is proposing to city commissioners that the city get specialized heavy-duty wheelchairs that people can check out from the Visitor Center.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Old brick roads are part of the charm of downtown St. Augustine... but they're not so charming for people who use wheelchairs.

"We have people who have crutches. We have people with multiple sclerosis who use hand-crutches. We have people like me who had a stroke and can't maneuver well downtown," Chuck Bromirski of St. Augustine said.

He is proposing to city commissioners that the city get specialized heavy-duty wheelchairs that people can check out from the Visitor Center. Bromirski said with standard wheelchairs, "the wheels are too narrow. They're not meant for our surfaces."

While there are sidewalks around downtown, Bromirski said it would be nice to enable people to get off the pavement.

"If you want to go on the grass and have a picnic or if you want to go to the water's edge where the grass is," he said.

"I think it's a great idea because we are working hard to become pedestrian friendly and we also have a commitment to being ADA friendly as well," City commissioner Nancy Sikes-Klines said. She has more questions about how the program would work, however.

Bromirski says each specialized wheelchair would cost about $500, and he said they'd open up the city to many more people.

"If they want to go see our town, they need access. How do you do that? You gotta have special wheelchairs."

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