Committee reviews playground redesign and two restroom options at Holbrook Palmer Park; staff to confirm site access for prefab unit

The Parks and Recreation Committee reviewed updated playground designs and two restroom delivery options for Holbrook Palmer Park during the May 7 meeting, with staff saying the town’s current aggregate budget for demolition, site prep, utilities and a new pump system is $800,000.

Staff presented a playground redesign that responds to council feedback by increasing rubberized surfacing in the younger‑kids area, adding shade, rearranging swings and adding picnic tables. The design includes a willow‑hut‑style play feature, an accessible spinner in the older‑kids area, tandem and bucket swings in the younger area, integrated ground games (for example, hopscotch), and retention of a sandpit with digger toys. Project documents show the rubberized surfacing and additional shade structures are among the primary cost drivers.

Staff told the committee two restroom vendor approaches are viable. One vendor (the Public Restroom Company) offers a prefabricated concrete building that is manufactured off‑site, delivered in two halves and craned into place; staff said fabrication for the prefab option is roughly 16 weeks plus site prep, and the unit can be dropped in and finished quickly on site. The alternative, from Romtek/RomTech, is a build‑in‑place masonry block option assembled on site; staff estimated about two months of on‑site construction for that option. "It's 16 weeks for the fabrication from when we order it, for the prefab one," staff said.

Committee members expressed two key logistical concerns. First, because the prefab restroom arrives in oversized pieces, staff must confirm whether trucks and cranes can traverse the park approach bridges and tight turns; those bridges have weight limits that could preclude bringing in large prefabricated halves. Second, the committee asked staff to obtain firm, line‑item prices and finish samples from both vendors so the subcommittee and full committee can finalize design choices.

Staff described the restroom layouts under consideration: three front doors (men, women and family/accessible), three stalls in each men’s and women’s rooms (including ADA stalls), two urinals in the men’s room with one at child height, and a family room with a lower‑height toilet, changing table and child sink step. Drinking fountains and a bottle‑filling station were included on the building exterior. Interior finishes under consideration include easy‑to‑clean FRP wall panels (rather than full tile) and porcelain fixtures; staff noted that tile would substantially increase cost.

Committee members reviewed timing and costs. The project manager said the prefabricated route shortens on‑site disruption but requires the transportation check; the build‑in‑place route increases on‑site activity and staging but may avoid the transportation constraint. Staff said both options are roughly comparable in price, but the bathroom cost is approximately $40,000–$50,000 over earlier estimates and that the council had indicated it would accommodate a $350,000 augmentation in the upcoming budget cycle to allow completion of the playground and restroom work. Staff also said construction and fabrication schedules would be coordinated so the bathrooms and playground work occur concurrently to limit overall closure time in the park.

The committee asked staff to schedule a site visit with the prefab vendor this week to verify access, to collect final pricing and finish selections from both vendors, and to return with a recommendation for the committee’s June or July meeting so the committee can vote and forward a package to council for final approval and bidding.