BERLIN – Thanks to a grant, residents will soon see permanent bathrooms installed at Henry Park.
The town received a $96,000 Community Parks and Playgrounds grant that will fund the majority of the costs associated with replacing the portable toilets at Henry Park with permanent restrooms.
“I think it’s a good point to make that’s a very good use of grant money to get nice bathrooms in our public parks that are heavily used.,” council member Lisa Hall said.
According to Mary Bohlen, the town’s administrative services director, town employees are currently exploring how to best situate new bathrooms at Henry Park. Once they’ve determined the best location, they’ll get pricing and hire a contractor.
Bohlen said that when she explored initial estimates as she was applying for the grant, the costs were projected at $106,000. That, she said, would fund a pre-fabricated building that would contain a bathroom for men and another for women.
“They build it and bring it in and we just have to prepare the location,” she said.
She said the town had submitted grant applications for facilities at both Henry Park and Stephen Decatur Park but had only received funding for the former. Officials haven’t given up on Stephen Decatur Park however and recently submitted a grant application for bathrooms there. Bohlen says the town won’t hear back on whether that grant is received until next year.
Mayor Gee Williams, however, indicated he was optimistic, particularly since the town was putting the Henry Park grant to immediate use.
“It doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed but it has been our experience that if you do what you’re supposed to do with the grants in a timely manner and don’t let the money sit around, it does you well, it puts you in a good place for the next application for a grant,” he said.
Williams said the portable toilets had served the parks well but that the time had come to build permanent bathrooms.
“Both porta-potties served their needs but the usage of the parks kind of makes the porta-potties obsolete,” he said. “It’s kind of like evolution. We’ve grown up and need some permanent restrooms.”
Bohlen says the Henry Park bathrooms should be complete by spring at the latest.