By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — A non-profit group’s hopes to bring public restrooms to downtown Houlton remains up in the air after the Houlton Town Council took no action Monday evening on the request.
Bob Anderson, chairman of the Riverfront Park Committee, was back before the council, hoping the board would give its blessing for plans to build a 10-foot by 20-foot public restroom facility near the picnic area. Anderson explained public restrooms were part of “Phase III” of the committee’s plans to beautify the park.
Back on May 28, the council first learned of the committee’s hopes to erect public bathrooms in the park, but was hesitant to give approval to any project that would add a yearly expense to the budget.
Those concerns remained Monday evening when some councilors expressed they were not opposed to the project, but were concerned about the finances. Even though the town would not be responsible for the construction costs, estimated at about $80,000, Houlton would be on the hook financially for maintaining the facility, including electricity, water and sewer costs.
No concrete figure exists for how much it might cost to maintain such a facility. Houlton Town Manager Gene Conlogue said he estimated it would cost between $4,000-$8,000 annually.
In a letter to the Riverfront Committee dated July 2, Conlogue, on behalf of the council, asked the group if it would consider raising enough funds above and beyond the construction costs, to cover operating expenses for at least the first few years.
Anderson addressed that question during Monday’s meeting, stating that when the Gateway Bridge was constructed no private funds were set aside to cover the cost of maintaining that structure.
“I don’t recall raising money from private individuals with the thought that it would be used for operating expenses,” Anderson said. “There’s a possibility we could do just about anything. The first hurdle though is trying to raise the funds for the construction.”
Anderson said his committee had some ideas on “good sources” for some of the funds needed for construction, but no formal requests have been made to date.
“Every time you build a park or a restroom, there is a cost involved,” Anderson admitted. “In my view, it is probably two years down the road before the town would see any expense. It will take us a fair amount of time to raise the funds.”
Councilors also expressed concerns about vandalism in the park, with the thought that a rest room facility would only exacerbate the problem.
Anderson acknowledged there was some vandalism in that area, but said he felt it was not exorbitant. The group would like to purchase two new picnic tables, constructed with materials to make them more resistant to vandalism, at a cost of $1,200.
A security camera is already installed at the park to help curb illegal activities in the park. Anderson added the building would be constructed to be “vandal proof.”
“My thought is, the more usage you make of that park, the less issue you will have with vandals or loitering,” he said. “It seems like there are more and more people using the park.”
The location of the restrooms was another topic for councilors. The current plan is to locate the bathrooms behind the current kiosk area.
Council chairman Paul Cleary asked if there was any consideration to building the facility in the “Key Bank” parking lot. Anderson said it was discussed initially, but the town does not own that property.
“The Riverfront Committee’s vision is related to the park, and not other areas of the town,” Anderson said.
Councilor John White said he understood the thinking behind building the rest area, but added the timing may not be the best.
“I think it will be quite difficult to ask the taxpayers of Houlton to pay, over a 10-year period, roughly $80,000 for another rest area,” he said. “At this time, the way our economy is, and our taxes, I don’t see how I can support an additional burden to the taxpayers.”
Anderson countered that it was impossible to tell what the financial situation would be two years down the road.
“My philosophy is we need to make our town as presentable as it can be so people want to come here and live here,” Anderson said.
Because the restrooms would not be open in the winter, Anderson added he thought the town manager’s estimate of $6,000 was on the high side. But even if that figure was in fact much higher, the town could always choose not to continue with the project at a later time.
“The town doesn’t have anything invested in the structure,” Anderson said. “Let’s say the costs are double what we thought, or vandals tear it apart. What’s the answer? You shut it down.”
Cleary said it was “scary” to give approval to any project that would pose an extra expense to the municipal budget, especially since serious cuts seem imminent in next year’s spending plan.
“You never want to say ‘no’ to a voluntary committee,” Cleary said. “There is just no more room in our budget for additional expenses.”
During public comments, Houlton resident Phil Bernaiche bashed the council for not working hard enough to lower taxes, and chastised the town for not going after individuals who have not paid their tax bills.
“There’s a lot of us who can’t afford to have you go into our pockets every time you feel like it,” he said. “You have to learn to not spend so much. Then I think everything would be better.”
He also questioned why the council was scheduled to go into executive session at the end of the meeting with Jon McLaughlin of the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation.
McLaughlin responded to Bernaiche stating that some economic development issues could not be discussed in open session due to the sensitive nature of the items being talked about.
In other agenda items, the council:
• Approved an increase in fees for the town cemetery.
• Accepted a donation of $619 from Callnan’s Greenhouse for flowers and labor for the beautification of public venues.
• Accepted the donation of $12,500 from the Houlton Rotary Club for the purchase of playground equipment for the Just For Kids playground.
• Agreed to draft a letter of congratulations to the County Federal Credit Union for its replica of the Gateway Bridge.
The next regular meeting of the Houlton Town Council is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.
