The City of Coronado is moving forward with the planning and design of a new public restroom for Spreckels Park with the announcement of a community workshop scheduled for March 10 at 6 p.m. in the Winn Room at the Coronado Public Library. The current restroom facilities at the park are not complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are in poor condition, dating from 1983. Additionally, the number of stalls provided in the existing facility is inadequate to serve the year round needs of the park and can not serve the seasonal use that the park experiences in the Summer and for community events, such as the popular Concert in the Park series.
In January, the City began its review of the existing public restroom facility by conducting a series of ‘internal’ programmatic meetings. The City hired lead architect Randy Hannah of HGW Architects to begin the design process and explore the needs of a new restroom facility. Over the last two months, the City has conducted a series of three meetings with various city organizations that have a civic history of hosting events at the park, such as the Concert in the Park Committee, the Flower Show, and the Historical Resources committee. Members of the ad hoc group shared the parameters of their organizations’ use of the park and provided input on programmatic elements under consideration for the restroom project.
The informal committee was tasked with developing core concepts around the development of a new restroom facility. It was agreed that a new facility needed to meet current code regulations and provide a greater number of permanent stalls, though the exact number was not finalized. The use of the restrooms by families and young children was also an important factor in consideration of the stall design. Sustainability and safety were key issues. The consensus among the group was to explore single user stalls as opposed to the existing open plan that houses stalls in one enclosure. The individual stall approach is considered safer and easier for adults to monitor when being used by children or large crowds.
One of the main topics of concern was the seasonal use of restrooms during the peak summer season and during other annual events that regularly occur in the park such as the Coronado Flower Show. The influx of people in the park has been accommodated in the past by the placement of portable toilets along the street or within the park itself. Members of the informal committee wanted to explore a better solution that would accommodate the need for seasonal temporary toilets but provide a cleaner, safer and more aesthetic solution. Designs were discussed around building a stable pad for the portable toilets to rest on and potentially an enclosure that would screen the toilets from the public and provide an aesthetic facade.
The current mural – a mosaic tile wall – was addressed and members of the committee agreed that it needed to be preserved and incorporated into the new design potentially with the inclusion of more public art. The preservation of trees, open space and the desire for the building to have a minimal footprint within the park was also discussed. The need for a restroom facility closer to the tot lot and play structures was also reviewed.
The City invites the community to attend a public workshop for the design review of the new Spreckels Park Restroom. The architect will be available at the meeting to present possible schemes and review design considerations. Bill Cecil, Capital Projects Manager with the City of Coronado is available for more information and can be reached at 619-522-7314 or by email at [email protected]. The meeting will be on Tuesday evening, March 10 at 6PM in the Winn Room at the Public Library.
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Katy Hendrickson
Contributing Writer
eCoronado.com
