Estero Island Taxpayers Association talks bathroom business
On a daily basis, Scott Safford has to tell people on the street that no, The Sea Gypsy Inn doesn’t have a public restroom.
“It’s a serious problem,” Safford, the co-owner of the hotel, said.
He estimated such encounters happen anywhere from 10 to 20 times a day: “can I use your restroom?”
The answer is no, but there’s no where nearby for them to go. He’s had more than one person choose to use his fence as a urinal instead.
The Palm Avenue Beach Access mobile public bathroom was removed in the spring due to its condition, with no plans to replace it. Public bathrooms are a sensitive topic – but the Estero Island Taxpayers Association attempted to tackle the discussion at its December meeting and one-year anniversary.
“It’s hard to have a discussion, everyone is either yes or no. There’s no middle ground,” Council Member Anita Cereceda said at the meeting.
The comprehensive plan is not clear on allowing public bathrooms at beach accesses, and the mention of them brings out a faction on either extreme of loving or hating them.
These bathrooms, or “comfort stations,” can be funded through Tourist Development Council funding, said Nancy MacPhee, manager of tourism product development for the Lee County Visitor’s and Convention Bureau. The county’s currently building a similar facility on Cayo Costa. She sat on a panel at the EITA meeting with Chelsea O’Reilly, interim public works manager, and Roger Hernstadt, town manager, to discuss the island’s bay and beach accesses. The conversation mostly revolved around public restrooms, and whether they did or didn’t belong on beach accesses.
“People that are opposed see it as a commercial intrusion,” Cereceda said. “It’s about preventing commercial intrusion and protecting quality of life.”
Bobbi Kemp, who lives on a residential street with a beach access, does not want to see a public restroom on her street. She, and others, feel it will degrade value and quality of life to have a toilet on their street. Although it’s never been suggested there should be a bathroom at the end of every access, the fear is allowing one or two will bring more.
“Residents of the street control more than the population of the island, tourists or the county,” Frank Wilusz, a Madison Court resident, said. “We have an aging population, and we’re told people should use hotel and restaurant bathrooms.”
Wilusz was referring to a comment made by now-Vice Mayor Tracey Gore at the January meeting at which the council voted to remove the Palm Avenue comfort station – her recommendation to tourists and beachgoers was to go into a business and use their private bathroom.
Pro-bathroomers often talk about elderly beach walkers or families on the beach having to walk down to Lynn Hall Park or Crescent Beach to use a public restroom. But Kemp said none of the beaches she’s visited recently have frequent public bathrooms on their accesses.
“I used to take my kids to the beach, and there weren’t bathrooms,” she said. “You just have to plan.”
There are town-owned bathrooms in Town Hall, Bay Oaks Rec Center, the Mound House and Newton Beach Park open during business hours. There are also public restrooms on county property at Bowditch Point, Lynn Hall Park and Crescent Beach Park.
Out of the approximately 20 people at the meeting, about three-fourths voted that they would support having some public restrooms on the accesses. But everybody could agree, those public facilities were better placed in the commercial areas of the island, not on a residential street.
Until directed otherwise by council, though, Hernstadt said the status quo was staying.
“The town council had a strategic planning session, and one of the discussions… was not to add bathrooms at beach accesses,” he said. “Until that changes, staff will follow that direction. It’s important for people to share their thoughts with town council.”
Cereceda said she gets a lot of comments about the bathrooms, and an uproar when Palm Avenue’s was removed. It was recently suggested at a council meeting that the beach parking lots that charge visitors to park for the day should have restrooms for their customers.
Safford just wants people to have somewhere else to go – besides his fence.
“It’s ‘not in my back yard,’ but you know what will happen if we don’t solve this,” Bev Milligan, EITA director, said.