Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Chatham Town Board has halted a plan to enter into a lease with the village of Chatham for space to house the town court beginning August 1. The proposed agreement would have been effective for one year, for a monthly rent of $1,650. At the July 16 town board meeting, members were uneasy about entering into an agreement for a space that is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The courtroom the town has leased for years is located on the second floor of the village hall and there is no elevator or lift. Town Supervisor Donal Collins said he and town board member Vance Pitkin spoke with village Mayor John Howe and were told the village board did not want to install a lift in the historic building. Town board members cited concerns about ADA compliance, as well as COVID-19 safety precautions in the Tracy Memorial Building. Collins said he would go back to the village with the board’s concerns. At the July 13, village board meeting Howe said the village had been discussing the issue for a long time before he joined the board. The mayor said there were plans to upgrade Tracy Memorial that dealt with ADA compliance. He also said there is state grant money the village had received for those upgrades. But that money, he warned, could be held up due to the pandemic. Pitkin, who attended the online village meeting, said that it was no secret the town is looking for a new home for the court. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.