Mobile rest rooms roll into beach accesses
Relief is on the way for beach goers.
After agreeing on the purchase and installation of three mobile-type restroom facilities two months ago, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council unanimously approved the increased installation cost of $25,000 and beach access locations for the units to be positioned. The three public rest rooms -plus a fourth which was used at Newton Park while the property’s building was being reconstructed- will be installed at Palm Avenue, Connecticut Street, Dakota Street and Aberdeen Avenue beach accesses.
Council’s petition to the Lee County Tourist Development Council for funds to cover the cost of the mobile facilities was denied. The installation cost includes a tap-in to the sewer system expenditure of $10,000 to $12,000.
“The mobile rest rooms have to be placed at beach accesses that have parking availability and have enough parking to accommodate the use of two parking spots and be able to function well,” said FMB Town Manager Terry Stewart, who stated one of the units is a larger facility with handicap availability. “At your encouragement, we went to the TDC to ask them to consider out-of-cycle additional funding to cover additional installation costs. We were turned down.”
Along with public rest rooms at Bowditch Point Park, Lynn Hall Park and Newton Park, the installation of these new facilities at the assigned beach accesses will mean there will be accommodations at approximately one-mile intervals for the seven-mile-long island. The Palm Avenue beach access (#30), near Diamondhead Resort, is noted to be an active beach area with parking and ADA accessibility.
“We’ve designated the Palm Avenue access to fit (the handicap) unit,” said Public Works Director Cathie Lewis. “There are at least 11 parking spaces which are all perpendicular, so we will be easily able to fit that unit in there. Since it is a heavily used access, we felt like it could accommodate the larger facility.”
According to Stewart, the funds for the installation of all four units will come from undesignated reserves. The approved action will allow the funds to come out of this year’s budget. TDC will cover the annual operations and maintenance costs.
Plans are to have rest room designations and signs on both the street and beach side of the designated beach accesses next year.
“These units provide us an opportunity to have day-to-day bathroom facilities for the public,” said Stewart. “They are mobile. They can be moved out if they are needed at some other place on the island, and we can have someone come in to make a hookup for sewer and potable water might be available. That is an option for us. They are not generally for emergency, but we could press them into emergency service.”