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Council weighs downtown restroom options and prioritizes street and sidewalk projects
Summary
Council reviewed single- and two-story restroom designs and preliminary cost estimates, discussed priorities for street paving and sidewalks (including Church Street and Mineral Springs), and agreed to identify funding sources including hotel-motel tax and grant searches.
Councilors reviewed two conceptual designs for a new downtown restroom and associated capital projects during Monday's workshop and asked staff for more precise cost estimates and funding options.
Staff presented two options: a single-story restroom plan and a larger two-story plan (which previously was associated with an attempt to secure federal funding and included a police substation and meeting space). The one-story plan had previously received bids near $1.1 million that were negotiated down in prior years to under $900,000; members said construction-cost escalation means current ballpark estimates should be refreshed before budget commitments.
Members expressed a preference for the smaller single-story option if costs remain high and noted that some construction items (electrical upgrades, additional plumbing) will add to the estimate. Councilors also discussed using hotel-motel (tourism) tax revenue for downtown improvements and asked staff to pursue grant options for sidewalks (noting community requests for a Mineral Springs sidewalk and Church Street paving).
Next steps: staff will collect updated cost estimates, identify funding sources and prepare prioritized recommendations for the council to review in a future budget cycle. The council opened the workshop to public comment at the end of the meeting.
