Park board scales back restroom plans
?LUZERNE TWP. — Brownsville-Luzerne Park Board voted this week to scale back plans for restrooms at the park from as many as four facilities to one central facility.
Public sewer lines are expected to be extended to the park by the end of this summer.
Construction of the new restroom facilities and extension of the lines through the park will be up to the park board, which had set aside more then $90,000 to use as matching funds for the project.
Board President Frank Ricco proposed building two new restroom facilities at this time, one near the Luzerne pavilion and one near the Brownsville pavilion.
“We might be able to do it for $92,000,” Ricco said Wednesday.
Luzerne Township Supervisor Gregg Downer cautioned against spending all of the money being held in reserve.
“My suggestion would be to put one centrally located in now and not spend all that $92,000 and then not have money for the electric bill,” Downer said.
“I would have to think long and hard about that. This is for family picnics. You can’t have a picnic at the Luzerne and make people come all the way over here to use the bathroom,” Ricco said.
At present there is a portable toilet inside the restroom building near the Luzerne pavilion. Ricco said rentals of the Luzerne pavilion on the far side of the lake would increase if flush toilets were available.
Following a vote to install just one new restroom, the board discussed having Andrew French of the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority address the board regarding grant possibilities and restroom designs he had previously researched. Ricco said French had previously discussed installing prefabricated “tamper-proof” restrooms.
In other matters, the board voted to permit the Old Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America to use the park the evening of May 13 through the morning of May 15 for a camporee along with the Braddock Trail Council.
Ed Bohna of the Boy Scouts said approximately 100 boys will be participating, along with their leaders. The event will focus on 18th century life and the boys will be camped throughout the park.
The board also approved use of the Hillman pavilion for Brownsville Area school students participating in an environmental education program at the park.