DINNER TRAIN: Disability advocates to address City Council

COLUMBIA, 2/20/11  (Beat Byte) -- Representatives of a disability advocacy group called the Mid-Missouri Advocacy Coalition (MMAC) are scheduled to "express an opinion on the [Centralia-Columbia] Dinner Train" at Monday night's Columbia City Council meeting.    

 

MMAC members Gretchen Maune and Dawn Zeterberg will also introduce the group and its services during the public comment portion of the Council meeting.  

 

The Dinner Train sparked controversy last year after city leaders agreed to publicly subsidize the project while waiving disability access requirements to preserve the train's historic character.  

 

Disability advocates and restaurant owners -- normally subject to standard ADA accessibility requirements -- spoke against the subsidy, which includes allowing the train to use the city-owned COLT railway line.