Yorkville business may be forced to close due to lack of ADA-compliant restroom

YORKVILLE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Racine County couple says their village has given them no choice but to close their business. 

Officials say it doesn't meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

For about a year, Matt Shewegel and his wife Shelly have been running their business, The 1898, out of a garage. But now, if they don't spend thousands of dollars to make the garage compliant for people with disabilities, they'll be forced to shut down. 

"This is what we use, or what we were using, for having craft classes in," Schwegel said. 

Matt Schwegel and his wife started The 1898 to make some extra cash. 

"She was gonna have to get a part-time job and this was gonna solve that problem," Matt Schwegel says. 

The business is for groups of people who want to get crafty. 

But months into running the business the Village of Yorkville told them they have to add an ADA-compliant restroom. 

"We have a bathroom on the premises that we can use, but it's not accessible for wheelchairs," 

A quote they got came back at $10,000. 

"I was just like, we're gonna have to give up," Schwegel said. 

At a recent village board meeting, Racine County officials said the matter was out of their hands. 

In the meantime, it leaves the Schewegels in a hard place. 

"If they don't give us some time to make the money for that, we're just gonna have to close," Matt Schwegel said. 

CBS 58 reached out to the Village Board Trustee Cory Bartless. He says they support all local business, but ADA compliance is regulated by the state.