New Hooper Park restroom installation expected in July

Lincoln's Hooper Park will once again be kicking off the summer with porta potties instead of restrooms, but plans call for that to change by July 22.

The Lewis and Clark County Commission awarded Thompson Contracting of Libby the $155,000 contract to build the long-awaited cast concrete restroom and shower facilities for the park on April 24.

To allay concerns another situation like the one with the original contractor, UBC Precast of Blackfoot, Idahomay arise, County Finance Coordinator Misty Edwards said the county has worked Thompson in the past.

Although the contracted delivery date for the facility is July 25, she told the Lincoln Park Board last week that the contractor is shooting to begin installation July 18, and is confident in his time line.

The state-mandated $9,000 water chlorination system for the park, which prompted a redesign of the restroom facility and resulted in the first delays to the project back in the spring of 2016, will be installed after the restroom is in place. Until that is completed and power is restored to the park's water pumps, it's likely that the park will be without even a non-potable public water source. A temporary water pump is in place for the park's irrigation system, but Howsmon said it can't be used "on demand."

At the Park Board meeting, treasurer Jesse Sallin pointed out that the expected installation dates may bump up against the annual Lincoln Flea Market scheduled for the weekend of July 20.

"If there are 1000 people walking round and 40 campers while he's trying to install it, he might not be too happy," she said.

Edwards agreed to send him a schedule of the events in the park, but said the installation shouldn't take more than two or three days.

"I'm confident he'll be OK," she said.

Two other concerns about the restrooms that were brought up during the park board meeting dealt with the accessibility of the facilities. One dealt with the fact the showers will be part of restrooms themselves, rather than separate facilities.

"If two people are taking showers, one in each unit, then no one can use the bathrooms?" asked Sallin, who has seen firsthand over the years how many people use the restrooms on a busy day. "I don't like that."

Edwards said one workaround for that problem may be to plan on bringing in porta-potties on busy weekends.

A second concern dealt with the plan to make the facilities unisex. That would allow for more flexibility, concerns centered around both sanitation and the increased possibility of men walking in on women and vice versa.

Erin Dey suggested changing the restrooms from unisex to men's and women's units, and installing two toilets in the women's unit instead of one toilet and one urinal.

Edwards reminded the board that the minimum specifications were developed two years ago with input from the Park Board and noted that significant changes, such as making the showers separate, would be unlikely since it would increase costs. However, she did agree to talk to the contractor, who is working on the building's final engineering, about possibly swapping a urinal for a second toilet in one of the units.

The Lewis and Clark County Commission approved funding the new restroom facilities back in 2015, relying on a combination of grants and county funding. This time however, with the deadline to use the original grant funding having passed months ago, the county now finds itself footing the entire bill.

Edwards told the BVD the commissioners planned to make funding for the new contract work regardless, but after the purchase of some property in Helena was put on hold, it freed up money in the county's Capital Reserve Fund.

During the last two years, the commissioners have admitted at Lincoln Government Day meetings to being both frustrated and embarrassed by the repeated delays and the ultimate default by UBC Precast.

During the May 4 Government Day meeting, Commissioner Jim McCormick explained that the county is pursuing a breach of contract judgement against UBC, which received $51,000 as a down payment for the building it never delivered.