City of Powell River councillors have directed staff to find a way to keep washrooms in parks open. The direction was given to Bill Reid, director of parks, recreation and culture, at a recent committee-of-the-whole meeting.
Mayor Dave Formosa placed the issue on the agenda after concerns he and Councillor Maggie Hathaway have heard at ratepayer association meetings about washrooms being closed.
“I think people should have access to the bathrooms in our parks,” Formosa said. “I just wish we could find a little bit of money to make that happen.”
Reid told council the issue was complicated. While parks staff can open up washrooms, they have to be closed at night or they’ll be vandalized. “That’s a given,” he said. “That’s an incredible cost.”
Cleaning adds more costs, Reid said, as does having staff close them at night. He also pointed out the reason the washrooms at Willingdon Beach weren’t open in the winter was because there was no heat in the building.
“We get our budgets cut,” Reid said. “That is a fact.”
Formosa said Reid should tell council how much it would cost to install a couple of baseboard heaters in the washrooms at Willingdon Beach. He also said he believed the city could find neighbours near the parks who would open and close the washrooms. “If we say we want to open our bathrooms for our citizens, we can get it done,” he said.
Councillor Chris McNaughton said the issue was complicated because it was not being managed. “I think the answer is council needs to give direction to staff to manage the issue and figure out how to do it,” he said. “There’s a $3.2 million budget. I know it’s a tough nut to crack, but that’s what we hire staff for.”
After discussing the issue at length, councillors agreed with McNaughton and directed staff to ensure seven washrooms are open during the day. The washrooms are located in Willingdon Beach, Sunset, Larry Gouthro, D.A. Evans, Mowat Bay, Timberlane and Lindsay parks.
