Crest Lake Park Bathroom Demolition Vote Set for Thursday

It seems a matter of when, not if, bathrooms at Crest Lake Park will be demolished.

City leaders plan to vote on destroying the bathrooms and pursue a program to finance future upgrades for Crest Lake Park at their April 4 meeting.

“If there’s a mistake that we’ve made, it is we probably should have had this discussion months ago,” Mayor George N. Cretekos said regarding removing the bathrooms. “It looks terrible having them welded shut... I’m tired of seeing that photo op.”

Neighborhood leaders hoped to convince the council to reopen the restrooms by March 7. They have been closed since June 11, 2012.

The bathroom closure is part of the city’s efforts to usher homeless into social services and deter crime at the park, officials have said. Cost is another reason.

The cost to maintain the bathrooms is $35,000 a year, which includes locking and unlocking and daily cleaning, said Kevin Dunbar, director of the city's Parks and Recreation department. Maintenance costs for Crest Lake Park total about $86,000, he said. 

The price to destroy the bathrooms is between $5,000 and $8,000, according to Dunbar.

The Clearwater Neighborhood Coalition, which represents a network of other homeowner groups throughout the city, unanimously passed a resolution supporting reopening the bathrooms in February. Skycrest Neighbors Association unanimously supporting its own in January.

The groups also showed support for reopening the restrooms at City Hall chambers in February.

Leaders from the neighborhood groups have said they plan to host a bevy of events at the park as a way to invite residents back to the public space.

Council member Jay Polglaze, who has asked the council to also plan events at the park, offered the idea of keeping the restrooms available so they could be opened during special events.

Dunbar talked about how special arrangements are made for use of bathrooms at athletic complexes and other facilities including Glen Oaks Park. There, someone involved in the athletic program has a key and opens and closes the bathrooms.

Dunbar said in the past when the city has tried to make arrangements with others it has ended badly.

Council member Bill Jonson, who thought it too soon to destroy the bathrooms, questioned how those arrangements would be any different from making a similar agreement with someone from a neighborhood group.

Cretekos initially floated the idea of redeveloping Crest Lake into a signature park, transforming it from a "neighborhood" to a "city park," which could take years and millions of dollars.

Under the plan, which still needs funding, the park’s berms could be removed, interactive activities for children would be added as well as a possible veterans memorial. Financing could come from Penny for Pinellas in 2017, officials have said.

“The neighborhood has to understand that we are serious in our commitment to redeveloping that park,” Cretekos said. “We don’t have that magic wand, but it will happen over a period of time.”

Polglaze, who questioned the need to spend millions in redevelopment of the park, suggested putting Crest Lake Park back into the Parks and Recreation budget, adding lighting and reopening the bathrooms.

Cretekos said Polglaze’s piecemeal approach would not work. The bathroom’s design is substandard and said it would be a mistake to reopen them just for the sake of reopening them.

“We can do a better job,” he said.

In a few years when bathrooms are rebuilt and the park has the amenties and features to make it a signature attractor, some problems could return, Bill Horne, city manager, said.

“I think everyone should understand when we complete the renovation and public restrooms are opened for the public, you will see the homeless move back to that area,” Horne said. “I think that should be a reasonable expectation the community has.”

Polglaze forewarned the council that the park needs their support, if the council expects backing from residents on its future projects including Clearwater Marine Aquarium's possible $160 million plan to redevelop the current City Hall site, which would need voter approval.

“The answer to this,” Polglaze said. “What we do... the decision that we make on Crest Lake Park has the potential to help us or hurt us on these potential large endeavors.”

Related Coverage:

• Crest Lake Park Bathrooms Likely to Be Destroyed
• Crest Lake Park Plans to be Unveiled in March
• Skycrest Neighbors: Open the Bathrooms, Have More Events at Crest Lake Park
• How Can Crest Lake Park Be Improved?
• What Are Your Ideas for Fun at Crest Lake Park?
• Stabbing Sparks Question of Safety at Crest Lake Park
• What Clearwater's Saying: Safety at Crest Lake Park

Sign up for the free Clearwater Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.