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The replacement of a 30-year-old restroom – wand its projected six-figured price tag – inside Grain Valley’s flagship park are raising a few eyebrows among city officials.
With estimated prices for a new restroom ranging between $98,000 and $159,000, the Grain Valley Board of Aldermen Monday night spent an hour hearing from staff and Park Board members on the replacement of bathroom facilities at Armstrong Park. The aldermen asked for a more detailed list of each option before a final decision on going out to bid is made. The Park Board also will research the possibility of buying pre-made restroom plans at a lower cost.
“We’re all surprised how much a modern restroom costs,” said Brad Welle, president of the Grain Valley Park Board. Park Board members had researched and discussed the new facility for several months. “We recognize this is a tough issue. There’s no doubt this is a lot of money for a restroom.”
Built in the early 1980s, the existing restroom is mostly wooden and is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, said Shannon Davies, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. During the past five years, the city has spent more than $23,000 in repairs on existing wear and tear at the restroom.
Separately, in the last five years, more than $9,500 has gone toward vandalism-related costs, including a small fire that was set to the structure last year.
The city has considered two design options for a new restroom, including a prefabricated restroom that is built inside a warehouse and shipped out or one that would be built on-site, which is the more expensive option.
About $80,000 is set aside for this project from bonds that were issued in 2007. The remaining money would come from the bond issue that voters approved in April for parks improvements.
“I don’t understand why a little building with bathrooms is costing that much,” Ward 2 Alderman Nancy Totton said. “There are peoples’ houses out there that don’t cost that much.”
Totton said she doesn’t want residents and out-of-town visitors judging Grain Valley and thinking that the city wastes its taxpayer dollars. Ward 3 Alderman Bob Headley countered Totton’s comment by saying that people also judge the city by the quality of the restroom facilities in its main park.
Welle said a new restroom at Armstrong Park isn’t a “have-to” among the city’s actions, though it was included as a park improvement with the recent bond presentation.
“I think that the community would be pretty disappointed if we didn’t, but I don’t think anyone is forcing us to put a restroom in the park,” he said. “We wouldn’t have to spend any money, but we happen to believe that that’s the price of having a public park.”
The replacement of a 30-year-old restroom – wand its projected six-figured price tag – inside Grain Valley’s flagship park are raising a few eyebrows among city officials.
With estimated prices for a new restroom ranging between $98,000 and $159,000, the Grain Valley Board of Aldermen Monday night spent an hour hearing from staff and Park Board members on the replacement of bathroom facilities at Armstrong Park. The aldermen asked for a more detailed list of each option before a final decision on going out to bid is made. The Park Board also will research the possibility of buying pre-made restroom plans at a lower cost.
“We’re all surprised how much a modern restroom costs,” said Brad Welle, president of the Grain Valley Park Board. Park Board members had researched and discussed the new facility for several months. “We recognize this is a tough issue. There’s no doubt this is a lot of money for a restroom.”
Built in the early 1980s, the existing restroom is mostly wooden and is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, said Shannon Davies, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. During the past five years, the city has spent more than $23,000 in repairs on existing wear and tear at the restroom.
Separately, in the last five years, more than $9,500 has gone toward vandalism-related costs, including a small fire that was set to the structure last year.
The city has considered two design options for a new restroom, including a prefabricated restroom that is built inside a warehouse and shipped out or one that would be built on-site, which is the more expensive option.
About $80,000 is set aside for this project from bonds that were issued in 2007. The remaining money would come from the bond issue that voters approved in April for parks improvements.
“I don’t understand why a little building with bathrooms is costing that much,” Ward 2 Alderman Nancy Totton said. “There are peoples’ houses out there that don’t cost that much.”
Totton said she doesn’t want residents and out-of-town visitors judging Grain Valley and thinking that the city wastes its taxpayer dollars. Ward 3 Alderman Bob Headley countered Totton’s comment by saying that people also judge the city by the quality of the restroom facilities in its main park.
Welle said a new restroom at Armstrong Park isn’t a “have-to” among the city’s actions, though it was included as a park improvement with the recent bond presentation.
“I think that the community would be pretty disappointed if we didn’t, but I don’t think anyone is forcing us to put a restroom in the park,” he said. “We wouldn’t have to spend any money, but we happen to believe that that’s the price of having a public park.”
