FORT FRANCES — Town council has approved two new pieces of infrastructure for the revitalization of Legion Park.
At a meeting this week, Fort Frances council voted in favour of purchasing the equipment to build a splash pad at the park, along with a new washroom facility.
The splash pad equipment, which will be bought from Open Space Solutions, has a total cost of just over $280,000.
Meanwhile, the washroom facility, which is being bought through Canoe Procurement Group, is self-cleaning and vandal-proof and has a cost of about $310,000.
Acting CAO Travis Rob reported to council that the washroom unit will be “prefabricated at their factory and delivered to the site complete.”
The units are integrated with smart technology that monitors if the occupants enter the facility and if there is a problem with the fixtures. Additionally, the facility will automatically lock the door at the set closing time day and reopen at a set time.
Rob said that if the facility registers an occupant while it is closed, the door with prop open and alert authorities.
“The occupancy sensor is similar to what you would see on a lighting control switch,” Rob said in a statement. “It senses the heat characteristics of a person or sound or a combination of both to determine someone is in the bathroom.”
The self-cleaning technology uses a pressure washing system for easy interior and exterior cleaning. The stalls are barrier-free, heated and insulated for use in all seasons.
“The user will have a better experience as the washrooms will be clean every use all day long. Secondly, the staff time required will be less. They will still require daily checks and tidying as usual with all public washrooms, but they will not require extensive cleaning daily,” Rob said.
“I am really excited to see this in action and how it can be implemented in other parks and facilities around town.”
Coun. Mike Behan acknowledged that during The Make a Big Splash Spray Park Committee meeting on April 5, there was a lengthy discussion on which unit the town should purchase — a one-stall washroom and change room unit or two-stall gender-neutral and change room unit.
The committee decided to recommend the latter.
“It was my opinion that the two-stall was the way to go because I didn’t think one stall would be enough for what we are looking to do at the Legion Park rehabilitation area with the splash park,” Behan said.
Behan also remarked that “it’s a sad state of affairs” that the Town has to purchase a vandal-proof washroom to ensure their facility isn’t vandalized.
“That is the reality, unfortunately,” said Behan.
Rob said the washroom is constructed of specialized materials resistant to damage from impact and graffiti.
With the addition of the new washroom, a $200 per month subscription payment for the monitoring connection and service will be incurred by the town after the first free year of its installation. The fee will be placed in the town’s operating budget.
However, Rob also acknowledged that the fee will save the Town some costs of routinely committing staff time to clean the facility, as well as, the cost of maintenance.
“From the capital side, given the construction of these units, there will be far fewer repairs required as the materials are resistant to marking and damage like we see in our other public washrooms. This means that there will be less cost associated with the replacement of fixtures, repairs, and downtime,” said Rob.
The Legion Park washroom won’t only be open during the summer months either, Rob said. The washroom will be year-round, heated facility, which patrons can access during the winter.
“Part of the reason the committee wanted to go with this is because it does come heated. Part of the amenities they are looking to be constructing at the park is a walking path that could be flooded in the winter for a skating trail,” Rob said.
Coun. John McTaggart expressed his gratitude to the public and the committee for their efforts in making the Legion Park splash pad a reality.
“Certainly, a big thank you to this committee for doing the work that they are doing and bringing this all together. And to the larger community for the generous donations to this point. I think it’s well worth noting that, because this project would not be happening without those contributions and those volunteers doing the work that they are doing,” said McTaggart.
“I am thrilled to be able to trial the technology and features in the proposed washroom for Legion Park. It is exciting to have an opportunity to bring new services to public spaces focused on accessibility, inclusivity and safety while reducing the operating burden on our staff," Mayor Andrew Hallikas added. "I am hopeful that this installation will pave the way for the rehabilitation or expansion of public washroom facilities in other public spaces.”
The timeline for this portion of the Legion Park Rehabilitation Project is expected to start in June and be completed in early August.
