Community Improvements

(Local View from 4'2, Lake County Press, July 10, 2026)

This summer I have noticed the lack of accessible porta potties around Two Harbors, so I went on an accessibility adventure. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that there have been great bathroom renovations to the public bathrooms in the Lakeview Park pavilion building. There are now stalls that can fit wheelchairs next to the toilets, grab bars at usable heights, handles on the stall doors and soap dispensers folks can reach from their chairs or mobility devices. These are all huge wins. Currently, I would recommend folks have someone with them as the threshold to get in the bathrooms is greater than the ADA code of one-half inch and the weight or tension on the exterior door feels to be more than the five pound regulation.

I have also been excited to see more of the blue paint around town that shows where and how long accessible parking spaces are. This seems to be a joint project between the city and county. Also they worked to put in an additional accessible spot on 4th Avenue by the Two Harbors Public Library. This is a welcomed addition as the public library is a hot spot of community connection and events. It should have its accessible parking sign installed in the coming weeks. As an accessible van user that needs the boulevard to be made of a hard surface for safety in all seasons and especially for snow and ice removal, I love having more options downtown to get out and explore. Currently there are only around three on-street parking spots that meet this requirement in our city limits with another five or more spaces that need to be updated to meet this basic code and safety need.

In this month of Disability Pride, I am grateful for these renovations and safety improvements around my community. We do collectively have more work to do in creating safe and accessible spaces but we also have to pause and celebrate the wins as well as promote them so disabled folks know that there are new spaces that meet our basic needs. Thanks City of Two Harbors and Lake County, let’s keep the momentum going!