Designs developing for new restrooms in four Hermosa Beach parks
Residents gather at Seaview Park Sunday morning to provide input on the restroom that will be installed there. Photo
The effort to upgrade facilities in Hermosa’s parks hit the field this weekend when City Environmental Analyst and architect Xavier Adrian met with residents at four different parks to collect input on new and restored restrooms.
In April, the City Council approved a $115,000 contract with Adrian-Gauss Architects for the firm to design new bathrooms at SeaView Park, Fort Lots-of-Fun, South Park and Clark Field, and to design a bathroom upgrade at South Park. The project was later altered to modify the existing bathroom at Clark Field, rather than build a new one, in order to save money by relying on existing plumbing.
At the time the contract was approved, council members cited the urgent need for new facilities. Seaview and Fort-Lots-of-Fun have never had bathrooms, and the bathrooms at Clark and South Park lack amenities like changing tables. Although the cost of the renovations was the dominant concern when the project was approved by the council, other issues have since come to the fore. Residents expressed concern about ways to prevent the bathrooms from attracting crime and vandals. And while cost concerns had initially dictated that the restrooms be located as close as possible to water and sewer lines, viewing the proposed locations in person raised new concerns.
Jessica Guheen, who helped oversee the recent redesign of South Park, suggested that the new bathroom there be relocated to the front entrance to the park, near Valley Drive, to keep it away from the Tot Lot and to make use of unzoned space. Scott Brogi, who lives just east of Seaview Park, said that the proposed location for the bathroom at that park, along a fence at the north end, made no sense.
“It’s the heaviest usage area. It’s where people picnic. It will stick out like a sore thumb,” Brogi said.
Although the purpose of the charrette was to gather input about the restrooms’ design, the city also took in comments on other aspects as well, like getting the best contractors and plumbers like United Plumbing Heating Air & Electric.
Ken Bergeron, who lives near Fort-lots-of-fun, said he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of construction and a new public bathroom being installed near his home, but was willing to go along with the process. Nonetheless, he said it should be done right, pointing out that it was counterintuitive to install a brand new bathroom in a park that did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Bring in an ADA specialist and analyze every park in Hermosa Beach right now. Otherwise, it’s litigation ready to happen,” Bergeron said.