KATIA TAILLARD: MY NAME IS KATIA TAILLARD IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW-UP, MAYBE YOU CAN PICK UP THAT I HAVE A FRENCH ACCENT. SO I WORK FOR THE COMPANY DESCHAMPS. AND I'M HERE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME EXPERIENCE THAT I HAD ON THE BEACH TO CREATE ACCESSIBILITY ON THE BEACH, TO CREATE PASSAGEWAYS, AND USUALLY I'M IN CONTACT WITH THE ADA COORDINATOR, OR PARKS AND RECREATION PEOPLE AND SO ON, SO I HAVE LOTS OF COMMENT FROM THE FIELD.
BASICALLY OUR PRODUCT HAS BEEN OUT FOR 10 YEARS NOW ON THE U.S. MARKET FOR LIKE 3 OR 4 YEARS. BUT RECENTLY, WE HAD TO WORK ON THE NEW PRODUCT TO BETTER ANSWER THE CUSTOMER'S NEED IN TERMS OF ACCESSIBILITY.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY SOME EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAD IN NEW YORK, IN NEW JERSEY, OR IN FLORIDA. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE ADA COORDINATOR IN NEW YORK CITY, VICTOR KALEZ WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT TODAY. ONE YEAR AGO, WE WERE WORKING WITH THE CITY OF CHICAGO TO MAKE THEIR BEACHES ACCESSIBLE, AND THEY ASKED US TO CREATE SOMETHING WITH MORE FINISHING, SOMETHING SMOOTHER FOR EVERYBODY WITH NO CONNECTIONS, NO SLOPE ON THE PRODUCT, SO SINCE JANUARY 2007, WE HAVE THIS NEW PRODUCT, AND IT IS ADA COMPLIANT JUST BECAUSE OF THE FINISHING THAT YOU WILL FIND ON IT AND WE DEVELOPED THAT IN ORDER TO LET PEOPLE HAVE THE ACCESS TO THE WATER ACTIVITY AND THE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. AND IN FACT, SINCE THEN, NEW YORK CITY HAS DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT THIS SOLUTION ON 5 DIFFERENT SPOTS THIS SUMMER, VICTOR KALEZ IS USING A WHEELCHAIR AND WE DID A GRAND OPENING IN JUNE WITH THAT. YOU WILL SEE ON THE NEXT PICTURES WHAT WE IMPLEMENT IN THIS PRODUCT TO MAKE IT SMOOTHER FOR EVERYBODY. AND IN NEW JERSEY, WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT CITIES USING IT, AND WE HAVE SOME STATE PARKS AS WELL.
SO FIRST OF ALL, WE DECIDED TO COME WITH A 60 INCHES WIDE SOLUTION. JUST TO ENABLE PEOPLE TO BE THERE WITH THE WHEELCHAIRS AND WITH THEIR FAMILY ON THE SIDE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A WIDE ENOUGH PASSAGEWAY TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE WALKING TOGETHER TO REACH THE WATER. BUT MOST OF THE TIME, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, OR THE ADA COORDINATOR, THEY ASK US TO CREATE A RESTING ZONE IN THE MIDDLE OR AT THE END OF THE MAT IN ORDER FOR PEOPLE TO PARK, OR TO TURN AROUND WITH THEIR FAMILY AND SO ON.
SO THE DECISION OF DOING IT 60 INCHES WIDE, IS USEFUL FOR BOTH THE TEAMS ON THE FIELD, THE STAFF, AND THE PEOPLE USING IT JUST BECAUSE IF YOU WANT TO BUILD SOMETHING WIDER, SOMETIMES ON BEACHES, IT IS SOMETIMES ON THE TRAILS, IT IS TOO BIG TO HAVE THOSE KINDS OF BIG MATS. SO WE DECIDED TO COME UP WITH THE 60 INCHES AND TO DO THIS SOLUTION AT THE END.
AT THE SAME TIME, THIS IS VERY LIGHTWEIGHT, SO IF YOU WANT TO REMOVE IT OR TO REINSTALL IT SOMEWHERE ELSE, BECAUSE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS, OR BECAUSE YOUR DUNES CHANGE YOU CAN DO IT VERY QUICKLY AND THIS IS A BIG POINT IN TERMS OF COST. JUST BECAUSE THE TEAM WANTS TO SAVE TIME DOING IT.
SO THE MAIN CONCERN WHEN WE DO SOME PASSAGEWAY ON THE BEACH IS TO HAVE SOME TRIPPING HAZARDS, I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT, AND WITH THIS KIND OF SOLUTION, WE TRIED TO AVOID HAVING SPACE BETWEEN CONNECTIONS. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE IT IN DIFFERENT LENGTHS, SO WHEN YOU HAVE IT ON THE BEACH OR ON A TRAIL, YOU HAVE ALMOST NO CONNECTIONS. WHEN YOU HAVE ONE IT IS VERY SMOOTH, AND WE WANT TO AVOID HAVING SOME SPACE BECAUSE OF TRIPPING HAZARDS. IT IS GOOD FOR PEOPLE HAVING WHEELCHAIRS BUT IT IS ALSO GOOD WHEN YOU HAVE WITH STROLLERS, CARRIAGES AS WELL. SO IN ADDITION TO THIS SMALL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN IT, GENERALLY SPEAKING WHEN YOU HAVE TO BUILD A PASSAGEWAY FROM A MAIN ROAD TO THE WATER, WE START THE PASSAGE WAY FROM A CONCRETE ROAD, OR FROM A WOODEN BOARDWALK, AND WE ALWAYS TRY TO COME WITH A SOLUTION WHICH IS VERY SMOOTH TO AVOID ANY GAP OR ANY BIG SLOPE IN THAT. AND ALSO, WHEN YOU HAVE TO SECURE THE ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS DOWN, WE USE SOMETHING ON THE SITE THAT YOU CAN SEE ON THOSE PICTURES TO AVOID TRIPPING HAZARDS AS WELL, AND YOU HAVE NO SCREWS AND YOU HAVE ALSO NO SPLINTERS OR NAILS JUST BECAUSE IT IS A ONE WOVEN PIECE SO YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE KINDS OF PROBLEMS.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE CAME UP WITH THE SOLUTION SO FAR IT IS WORKING WELL, AND PEOPLE ARE REALLY HAPPY WITH THE DIMENSIONS AND THE WEIGHT WE CAME WITH, AND I HOPE WE WILL MAKE MORE ACCESS TO HAVE THE OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.