Old Orchard Beach considering two new public restrooms

The town of Old Orchard Beach is eyeing Ocean Avenue and Brown Street as two possible locations for new public bathrooms.

The need for public bathrooms to accommodate summer visitors has been a talking point for many years.

In 2018, the town installed a three-unit, seasonal public bathroom at Union Avenue, after complaints from residents saying they witnessed people relieving themselves on the beach and nearby private property.

Last year, the Town Council voted unanimously to make the public bathroom at 6 West Grand Ave. free to use. For the first time in more than a decade, users did not have to pay a 50-cent fee to use the West Grand Avenue restroom.

In total, the town currently has five public bathrooms available in the summer, said Town Manager Diana Asanza at a February Town Council workshop.

The Town Council set aside $180,000 in the current fiscal year budget to install two new seasonal public bathrooms. Engineering consulting firm Woodard and Curran assessed locations with direct sewer and water access that were near entry ways to the beach and came up with the following possible locations for bathrooms: Mullen Street, Brown Street, Old Orchard Street, Staples Street Ext., Fernald Street, Atlantic Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Temple Avenue.

Asanza said at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting that the Council is considering Ocean Avenue and Brown Street as the locations for the two new bathrooms.

“Public bathrooms have been a priority of mine and of this council,” she said.

At February’s Town Council workshop, Councilors Kenneth Blow and Michael Tousignant said the town should keep in mind the recent storms and consider locations for the bathrooms that would be less vulnerable to storm damage. The proposed bathroom structures can be removed for the winter and stored elsewhere, and Tousignant said removing the structures for the winter could be one way to prevent damage to the buildings in the winter.

The town is looking at prefabricated bathroom structures made by OpBox in Woolwich. The buildings, which would be placed on a deck, are made from recycled plastic composite and are easy to clean and maintain, said Asanza.

The proposed designs vary in size from 14 by 8 feet to 11 by 8 feet, with two to three restroom stalls (including ADA compliant restroom space) and storage for lifeguard equipment or cleaning supplies.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.

Check out the new Saco Bay News shop at Spreadshirt and support local journalism.