TITLE 2309.24 - REGIONAL FACILITIES HANDBOOK
FSH 9/85 R-10 TRANS
CHAPTER 400 - FACILITY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
410 - Snowloads. All roofs must be designed for the maximum live loads of the
specific area in which construction is contemplated. Often, on-site loads are greater
than the live load indicated for the facility designs in Chapters 100 and 200.
Therefore, it is necessary to consult hydrologists and engineers to determine
snowload for the specific site involved. Engineering shall be involved in the design
of load-bearing members, if there is a need to strengthen the structure. Appendix
11, although too general for local use, shows the considerable variation in snow
levels, especially in Southeast Alaska.
420 - Site Plan and Landscaping. All major dispersed recreation facilities will have
an approved site plan such as for recreation cabins, observation platforms, and
other sites with permanent facilities that must be maintained annually. Existing
natural forest vegetation shall be preserved consistent with safety and fire
prevention practices. Allowing plenty of light and air circulation to reach the
facility is particularly important. Landscape planting shall be done, where
necessary, to soften the transition between structures and natural ground forms.
Any planting shall be the minimum necessary to meet this objective and shall be
relatively maintenance free. Native plant materials shall be used for dispersed
recreation areas. Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine, and red alder (not Sitka alder) are
frequently used for this purpose.
430 - Design for the Handicapped. All new and rehabilitated recreation sites with a
planned development scale of high 3, or 4-5 (FSM 2330.5), which are accessible by
road, shall be designed to adequately serve physically handicapped visitors. As a
general guide, 5 percent of all facilities at those qualifying developed recreation
sites shall be capable of accommodating visitors in wheelchairs, on crutches, or
those who are similarly encumbered. Every toilet building constructed need not
provide for handicapped use. Since these modifications are more appropriate in the
higher experience level sites, which tend to be larger and more intensely developed,
it is necessary to identify those camp units, or sections of a development, which are
so modified, through bulletin board posting and symbol signing. Examples of site
facilities requiring modification for handicapped use include parking areas, toilet
facilities, campgrounds, picnic units, surfacing and gradients on walks and paths,
and pedestrian circulation patterns.
Designers shall refer to the minimum guidelines and requirements for accessible
designs (Federal Register, Volume 46, No. 11, January 16, 1981), specifications for
modifying buildings or other facilities accessible to and usable by the physically
handicapped. Additional references are: (1) "A Guide to Barrier Free Site Design,"
produced jointly by HUD and the American Society of Landscape Architects
Foundation, which provides excellent guidance on this subject; (2) "Designing for
the Disabled," S. Goldsmith, Royal Institute of British Architecture, Technical
Information Service, 1983; and (3) "Outdoor Recreation Planning for the
Handicapped," Technical Assistance Bulletin, Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Outdoor Recreation, April 1967.
Some methods of modifying facilities for the handicapped include:
1. Unit tables having a 30-inch unobstructed ground clearance. Depending on
the table design, this may require table-top extensions with or without supports.
Care shall be taken to avoid supporting hardware injurious to the lower extremities.
2. Eliminate steps, stairs, and curbs, wherever possible, in favor of paths and
ramps complying with minimum guidelines and requirements for accessible design.
Hard surface materials must be used on walks and paths to accommodate
wheelchairs. Protruding structures, branches, or tree limbs along paths that could
interfere with handicapped visitors shall be removed.
3. Door openings, maneuvering room, grab bars, and similar modifications,
according to guidelines and requirements, to make buildings and facilities
accessible to and usable by the handicapped.
4. Extra-wide, reserved parking spaces, preferably close to the facilities or
attractions which are designed for handicapped use.
5. Use of standard handicapped symbols to identify those facilities adapted for
handicapped use.
The methods described above are by no means all inclusive. They are listed only to
provide the designer with examples of the range of facility modifications to be
considered. Always consult detailed references.
As a rule, site or facility modification shall not preclude utilization by the nonhandicapped. Only in rare cases should a development be designed or designated
for the exclusive use of the handicapped. Part of the designer's challenge is to
provide a facility which is usable by, and acceptable to all.
Modification of designs for the handicapped shall be coordinated through the
Regional Recreation and Engineering Staff Units.