Q. Why doesn't the Grand Forks Post Office have automatic handicap-accessible doors? Is this something the Post Office is working on?
A. Apparently this is legal, and a U.S. Postal Service spokesman said there are no plans to add power-operated handicap accessible doors to the Grand Forks Post Office.
According to Peter Nowacki, a Minneapolis-based spokesman for USPS:
"The U.S. Postal Service is subject to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding accessibility to postal facilities and services, rather than the more recent Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)."
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Power-operated doors are not required by the ABA or the Rehabilitation Act, he said, and they are not planned for Grand Forks at this time.
"The doors at the Grand Forks Post Office have been tested and are in compliance with our standards for the maximum push-pull force for manual doors," Nowacki said.
"Customers who have questions or concerns with facility accessibility should contact their local postmaster," he added. "It may be possible to adjust the doors to ease operation, or other accommodations may be made to ensure that all customers have reasonable opportunity to obtain postal products and services."
The Grand Forks Post Office can be reached at (701) 335-2001.
Q. Do burn bans also outlaw backyard fires controlled in a fire pit?
A. Yes, backyard fires are included in a burn ban, according to John Bernstrom, of Grand Forks' Public Information Office.
The Grand Forks Fire Department refers to these fires as "recreational fires," and you cannot have recreational fires, even in a controlled fire pit, during a burn ban, Bernstrom said.
When there is not a burn ban, there are still rules for these fires, though, he said.
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According to Grand Forks city code:
The fire must be small-less than 3 feet wide and less than 2 feet high. An open fire must be 25 feet or more away from any structure or combustible, while a fire in a container, such as a fire ring, must be 15 feet or more away from any structure or combustible.
Recreational fires must also be "constantly attended," meaning someone must be present from the time the fire is lit until it is extinguished, and extinguishing equipment, such as a water tank or garden hose, must be immediately available.
Also, the fire must not be offensive or hazardous, such as burning garbage.
