The Old Orchard Beach Town Council on Tuesday night authorized the purchase of a seasonal restroom trailer in hopes it will deter visitors from relieving themselves on the town beach and on private property.
The council voted 3-2 to spend up to $72,000 on a restroom trailer, Assistant Town Manager Louise Reid said in an email.
The request for more public restrooms came after town officials started getting complaints that tourists and visitors were defecating and urinating on the town’s world-renowned beach and on adjacent properties. Old Orchard Beach offers public restrooms in the downtown – near the Palace Playland amusement park and the Amtrak train station – but not at other access points to the 7-mile-long sandy beach.
The proposal approved Tuesday calls for installation of a self-contained restroom trailer that can be put in place for the summer months, before being removed and stored outside during the off-season. The trailers have become a popular choice of municipalities for use at beaches and other outdoor recreation areas.
Town Manager Larry Mead will select the vendor for the trailer, which will feature three separate-entrance toilet rooms – one of which will be wheelchair-accessible.
According to the town proposal, Mead was able to reach an agreement with a local property owner that will allow the town to place the trailer near the corner of Union and West Grand avenues for the next five years. That location is within walking distance of the Union Avenue beach entrance.
The town has received quotes from four vendors ranging from $44,146 to $71,271. It will take about 10 weeks before the trailer can be shipped. The town anticipates installing it before the end of June.
Reid said that Councilors Kenneth Blow, Jay Kelley and Joseph Thornton voted to approve the restroom trailer, while Shawn O’Neill and Michael Tousignant were opposed.
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