GREENVILLE

Greenville resident Robert Perrotti, a member of the Greenville Area Preservation Association, told council members Tuesday that he plans to file a federal complaint against them for holding meetings on the second floor of the borough building.

While Perrotti said he is physically able to climb the stairs, he said some residents are not.

Perrotti said the second-floor council chambers is not accessible to handicapped or disabled residents, and holding meetings there violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Residents have to climb a long flight of stairs to get to the second floor because there is no elevator and a lift hasn't worked in years.

"It's against the law. The public does have a right to attend meetings," Perrotti said.

Two women were unable to make it up the stairs to attend last week's agenda meeting. They protested by sitting at the bottom of the stairs in folding chairs.

Council has said it plans to start meeting in the former fire station on the first floor of the borough building. Renovations began Tuesday and could be completed in time for next month's council meeting, said Borough Manager Kenneth S. Weaver.

Perrotti said council should meet in the high school lecture hall -- where some meetings were held earlier this year to accommodate large crowds -- until the renovations are complete.

Weaver said if renovations are not finished by August, council will ask to use the high school lecture hall for meetings until they are.