By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green will soon have a solution for downtown patrons and Wooster Green visitors in search of restrooms.
By the end of June, the public restrooms downtown should be open for business.
The facilities, located in the former Huntington mini bank at 119 S. Church St., will have two unisex restrooms. One will be fully ADA compliant, with an adult changing table inside.
“I think it will be a good project for the community when it’s finished,” City Public Services Director Joe Fawcett said.
The facilities will make it easier for families to spend time at events in Wooster Green, without having to worry about the lack of restroom facilities, he said. And downtown business owners have also expressed their appreciation.
Fawcett said he has heard from business owners that “these special events downtown are great, but people are coming in their stores just to use the restroom.”
In an effort to thwart vandalism, the restroom building will have security cameras inside the public hallway of the facility. The cameras will be wired into the police station right next door.
The restroom building will have automated locks, and will be locked overnight. The open hours have not yet been determined.
City Council committed $75,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project. The total cost will be closer to $90,000 due to a broken sewer pipe found under the building.
City Council voted to purchase the bank building in 2019. The former Huntington Bank Branch location had been closed for several years, but has drive-up ATM units. Those ATM units will continue functioning for the time being.
In addition, the location has been eyed by the city for years as property that could be used to expand the police station. While there are no immediate plans for an expansion, the addition of an improved safety dispatch center is one of the city’s long-term capital plans.
A decision was made last year that the restroom project should not wait for the police station renovations, which could be several years away.
