Restroom Relief May Be Coming to Anniversary Park

At 13 acres, Wildwood's Anniversary Park has all the amenities you would expect -- playground, pavillion, picnic tables -- but it's always been missing one thing: a permanent restroom facility. 

The Wildwood City Council moved forward on an idea to help relieve that situation at a recent work session, giving the go-ahead on a plan for the purchase of a pre-fabricated restroom facility. 

The facility would be purchased from Public Restroom Company out of Reno Nevada and would include men's and women's restrooms. The price is estimated at $74,000 with another $12-15,000 in site preparation costs.

Wildwood Public Works Director Joe Vujnich said it was being offered at a "substantial reduction" because it had originally been ordered by another municipality that cancelled its purchase. 

"It was such an opportunity, that we felt obliged to present it to the planning, public works and administration committee," he said. 

However, he cautioned that there are some drawbacks to the facility, most of which they have taken steps to addressed. 

"From the committee's standpoint, the picture provided does not look like anything that would fit in anniversary park," Vujnich said. 

To that end, Public Restroom Company has agreed address these aesthetic concerns by provided a new, extended roof and changing the exterior color. A rendering of the proposed changes will be provided to the city, Vujnich said. 

Secondly, the facility is not heated, something that had been requested by the city council, with cost concerns prohibiting any modifications to make that possible. However, Vujnich pointed out that most other area municipalities also close their restroom facilities during winter months. 

"It is not necessarily the building we had all hoped for, but it is a building many of us believe will meet the needs of the residents," he said. 

At present, the park is served by a temporary set of restrooms that are screened from view. The city had originally hoped to construct a new facility itself and hired two architects to draw up designs. However, when those plans went out to bid, they all come back over budget. 

If the site pad work comes back on "the low side," Vujnich said the total coast for the pre-fab restrooms would be $87,000, just under the city's budget for the project. 

The idea won easy approval from the council, provided that they receive the artist's rendering for review and based on an agreement from the company to hold the building for the city for the next month. 

"Thanks for looking at a cost-effective way to provide a good-looking building for that facility," said council member Kate Dowell. "Our constituents have had to run down the road or rush in the car with their kids."