ASHLAND — Construction crews started work on public restrooms next to downtown’s Foundation Plaza last week.
The project, estimated to cost up to $120,000, is expected to be complete by June, said Ashland Mayor Matt Miller.
“As we have developed more downtown and we have larger crowds, people have pointed out the need for public restrooms,” Miller said. “We’re finally to the point where we’re able to provide them.”
The brick facility will include two handicap-accessible bathrooms for both males and females. Each restroom will also have a changing station, Miller said.
Sandra Tunnell, director of Ashland Main Street, said the four public restrooms are a welcomed addition to downtown.
Ashland Main Street is a nonprofit aimed at revitalizing the city’s downtown by “assisting businesses, planning events and encouraging redevelopment and beautification in the center of our town.”
“I’m super excited,” Tunnell said. “We’ve been discussing this for about four years, so it’s definitely something that has come from the community. We hear all the time from people, not just during events.”
City crews installed necessary utility infrastructure last week and Wooster-based Moore Building Management is scheduled to complete the construction. Masonry will be completed by Trowel Edge Masonry.
Miller said the money will primarily come from the city’s parks and capital improvement budgets.
The bathroom facility, open daily during daytime hours, is situated on a city-owned parking lot between Foundation Plaza and Premier Bank. Its footprint means the parking lot will lose around three spaces.
But Miller said the city expects to add more parking spaces northeast from Foundation Plaza in the near future. The city agreed to purchase a school district-owned maintenance building along Third Street in June 2023. It’s located beside Twisted Ivy Designs.
Miller said the city plans on closing the $75,000 deal by July 1. The mayor said the plan is to demolish the building in order to make room for more public parking.