At its October 26 meeting, General Committee was presented with a staff recommendation that the current lease with Coldwell Banker Thompson Real Estate for washrooms at 8 West Street North, adjacent to River Mill Park, be renewed for another five years. The existing agreement expires on June 30, 2017. A new agreement would see the monthly lease rise to $700 per month from $500 per month based on water and sewer costs from summer 2016.
The other options examined in the staff report were to add portable units to the park, build a permanent washroom facility, or purchase freestanding pod units.
“We have three really nice washrooms that already exist, although the Town doesn’t own them,” said the Town’s Executive Director of Community Services, Kari Lambe. “They suit the need, they are accessible, we can control them, we already have the cleaning of them in our scheduling and Coldwell Banker is willing to move forward with another five-year lease with the town. Staff is recommending that we move forward with the lease.”
Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano responded with a request to table the motion for one month, “to explore one more option based on discussions I’ve had about the possibility of repurposing one of the small sheds down at River Mill Park as a seasonal washroom. I believe water and sewer is right there and I think we could have a seasonal, accessible washroom down there for probably half the money we’d spend over the next five years.”
Earlier in the meeting, Lambe noted that while the larger of the three storage sheds in the park has been used for events, the two smaller sheds have not been used as much.
Most people already think they are washrooms. They would service the park well and it wouldn’t be an ugly porta-potty in our jewel.
Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano
The motion was tabled until the next General Committee meeting to give staff time to explore the option of converting the storage sheds to seasonal washrooms. Mayor Scott Aitchison, who works for Coldwell Banker, declared a conflict and was not present for the discussion.
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Although I am very much in favour of refurbishing an attractive, existing shed for use as an accessible washroom; the ultimate expense may be cost-prohibitive. In fact, the interior space requirements are such that the two smaller sheds would have to be joined: after all, you are providing space for a scooter-user.
A scooter requires 1800 mm (approximately 6 ft.) to make a 180-degree turn. The entrance door must be 900 mm (approximately 35 “) in width. Then one must allow for the transfer space and the grab bars to effect the transfer. Scooters and wheelchairs cannot be operated safely on grass, so an accessible route to the washroom would be required. This route must be hard-surfaced and would require both a ramp from Dara Howell Way, and a ramp into the washroom. A power-assist door is also required.
And I am only mentioning the major requirements. Definitely, a cost-benefit analysis is required to compare the two alternatives fairly; although the benefits to each are largely non-financial.