SEBASTIAN — The Sebastian City Council will hear a unanimous recommendation from the city’s Recreation Advisory Committee for more funds to build a small restroom facility at the Sebastian Bark Park during the May 9 council meeting. The committee wants more funds in order to build the restroom and install the other long-planned amenities at the park.
Last month, the City Council heard a recommendation from City Manager Al Minner to drop the plans for the restroom. He cited concerns about costs and objections from nearby residents.
The committee, however, supported having the restroom facility and continues to support it.
“It would seem to me that a restroom would be a priority,” said committee member Jo Ann Webster.
Joann White agreed, explaining that if the city were to install the planned pavilion, a bridge over a corner of the pond, and establish a walking trail around the park, those would only attract more people to the Bark Park, furthering the need for a restroom.
The city had budgeted $75,000 for improvements at the park, and so far has spent $5,350 on fencing, trees, benches and a kiosk. That leaves $69,650 for the rest of the improvements.
Minner told the committee Monday evening that the restroom could eat what’s left of the Bark Park’s budget.
“I think we’re going to need every penny,” he said, cautioning the committee that it might not be able to have both the restroom and the other amenities all at once.
Parks and Recreation Director Chris McCarthy told the committee that some of the pre-fabricated restroom facilities he’s researched could cost $40,000 to $50,000 – before permitting and installing a septic system.
Minner added that the city might have to pay a water impact fee to the county as well, which could run about $10,000.
If that were the case, the restroom facility could take $60,000 from the budget, leaving just $9,650 to do $25,100 worth of work.
Maria Cortese, the liaison for the Friends of the Bark Park, told the committee that the group and other Bark Park users support having a restroom at the park. She explained that many of the visitors are older residents who have to leave the park to go home to use the restroom and, sometimes, they don’t return.
The five members of the committee who were in attendance agreed with Cortese that a restroom is needed at the park and unanimously voted in support of asking the Sebastian City Council to amend the budget to approximately $100,000 – pulling approximately $25,000 from Recreational Impact Fees to complete all the projects at the park.
McCarthy told the committee that if the actual cost for the projects is less than budgeted, the left over funds would be returned to the Recreational Impact Fee fund.
