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Residents ask Newark to add portable restroom at Curtis Mill Park; parks staff to run a survey
Summary
Residents urged the council to install a portable toilet at Curtis Mill Park; Parks and Recreation Director said portable toilets are typically placed at parks with multiple amenities and staff will send a survey to collect community input.
Residents and an advocacy group asked the council to consider installing a portable restroom at Curtis Mill Park, and Parks and Recreation staff said they will survey users before making a placement decision.
Desmond Khan, speaking for the Coalition for Natural Stream Valleys and as a resident of District 1, asked the council for support to place a restroom at the park. Khan said the site is popular for fishing, picnics and trails and told the council the Parks Department had declined earlier requests. “We would like to see a restroom facility in that park,” he said.
Parks and Recreation Director Martinson corrected an initial reference to the park’s name and described the department’s usual placement criteria. “We typically put portable toilets in parks that have multiple amenities, in 1 location such as, you know, playgrounds, tennis courts, trails, basketball courts, and ball fields all at 1 location,” she said. She noted Preston’s Playground has a permanent restroom about a quarter-mile away and that Curtis Mill Park is often used as a transient stop, though commenters disputed that characterization.
The council discussed whether to ask staff to study the site. Council members Creasy and Bancroft supported a staff review; Bancroft cited community outreach by a nearby resident who reported broad support. Director Martinson said parks staff do not have the ability to place staffing at the site all day but that they could send a survey to capture feedback. “We’re happy to put something out,” she said, and pledged to coordinate with communications to deliver results to the council.
Public commenters emphasized local use of the park for fishing and trail access and questioned the department’s transient-site characterization. Don Sharp and other residents reported direct outreach to park users and said they encountered consistent support for at least a portable unit during busy months.
Action taken: Parks staff will prepare and distribute a survey about a portable restroom at Curtis Mill Park and report the findings to the council. No installation decision or funding commitment was made at the meeting.
