The Vancouver Park Board may have found a way to bring a public toilet to the West Ends Nelson Park without dipping into its stretched financial coffers, according to board chair Aaron Jasper.
A staff report going to the board on Monday recommends an automated self-cleaning toilet be installed in the park under a deal with the City of Vancouver engineering departments street furniture program.
Under the deal, the toilet would be supplied, installed and maintained by CBS/JCDecaux, two companies under contract with the city to provide and maintain street furniture such as toilets, benches, bike racks and garbage bins in exchange for advertising rights on transit shelters and freestanding street signs.
Jasper said that if successful, the deal could be replicated in other city parks, many of which have been left without washrooms due to lack of capital funds.
Theres a whole issue of washrooms... its one that we need to give some thought to as we look at redeveloping some of our parks and as we go through the capital plan process, he said.
Nelson Park, located at Bute and Nelson, was redeveloped in 2007 but a funding shortfall meant the field house and existing washrooms were not replaced.
Since then, West End residents in the heavily used park have had to go home to use the washroom or use nearby businesses.
Jasper said the automated toilet will require about $3,000 in initial set-up funds from the Park Board, far short of the estimated $400,000 for a freestanding washroom.
The automated toilets are in use in other areas of the city, including Pigeon Park, Thornton Park and the intersection of Davie and Richards, and feature advertising on their exterior walls.
However Jasper said the report recommends moving the advertising for the Nelson Park washroom off site to sidewalks near Nelson and Thurlow streets and Davie and Seymour streets to keep the park area free of advertising.
Brent Granby, director of the West End Residents Association (WERA) said he supported the plan. WERA has been advocating for public washrooms to be added to the park since the redesign was complete. Its very gratifying, he told WE.
The staff report will be presented at the Park Board meeting Apr. 18 at 7pm. If passed, it will then go to a public hearing process. Jasper said, if approved, the washroom could be installed by September.
