Yukon business frustrated after delivery trucks block access for disabled clients

YUKON (KFOR) – The owner of a Yukon adult day center has been fighting a traffic jam in the parking lot outside his business.

Will Daugherty owns BetterWay Adult Day Center at the Yukon Hills Shopping Center off Cornwell.

"We serve seniors, veterans, and adults living with disabilities," said Daugherty.

He said that every single one of the clients that he serves has some form of mobility or disability concerns.

Daugherty said he moved into the location about a year and a half ago. Since then, he has been fighting with delivery drivers who park in his two designated parking spaces that allow access to a ramp for his clients.

He said three to four times a week the trucks park in front of the spaces.

"I don't need to be going outside and having conversations with every truck driver that comes in the parking lot," said Daugherty.

The delivery drivers are dropping off supplies at the Dollar General next door.

"Each time they block the handicapped spots and the ramp, which is the biggest issue," said Daugherty. "There's a ton of space east and west. They could go down the parking lot, but instead they choose to block our parking spaces and inconvenience our clients and their families."

He said he has reached out several times to the managing company of the retail complex to voice his concerns, but nothing has changed.

Daugherty said last week he emailed management again. He received an email saying that the company would send a request to Dollar General to ask for limited deliveries and “a truck in a driveway that is there for 30 minutes a few times a week does not materially impact your visibility.”

Daughety said it was not about visibility, it was about his clients who can’t get inside the building.

He then showed News 4 an accidental reply by one the managing director of the retail complex that said, “quit acting like a whinny [expletive] baby.”

The business owner told KFOR his concerns were not being taken seriously.

"It's not just a safety issue. It's also about dignity. We're here to make their lives easier. Our families go through a lot,” said Daugherty. “Inconveniencing vulnerable adults and their caregivers is not something we take lightly."

News 4 reached out to the company managing the complex and asked how they planned to address the issue. The president of the company sent us this statement:

"In an effort to address Mr. Daugherty’s concerns, we’ve requested the neighboring tenant to ask its delivery drivers to avoid parking in the area near Better Way Adult Daycare’s door and front parking spaces.  As an additional measure, we intend to mark this area as a no-parking zone.  We expect to complete that measure within the next several days.  We take pride in maintaining high standards for our shopping centers, and we trust these actions will resolve Mr. Daugherty’s concerns."

KFOR also reached out to Dollar General’s corporate communications office. We’re still waiting on a reply.