The Elkhart County Parks Department now has $4 million dollars in COVID relief funding to upgrade its restroom facilities.
County parks director Ronda DeCaire said the department has seen record numbers of visitors at Ox Bow Park for the last two years, and continues to see high turnout at Cobus Creek, Bonneyville Mill, Boot Lake Nature Preserve and the River Preserve.
She said the majority of bathrooms in those parks were built in 1971, and most are “latrines” — otherwise known as outhouses.
“Some of these don’t have doors,” DeCaire said at the County Commissioners’ Feb. 7 meeting. “Some of these I, personally, wouldn’t even go to the restroom in.”
The parks department asked for $4 million of American Rescue Plan funding to help replace 10 of those latrines with new, vandal-proof restrooms that have running water and septic systems.
The funds will also go to update 13 other restrooms in the parks.
The Elkhart County Commissioners approved the department’s request Feb. 7, and it received final approval from the County Council Saturday.
“Most of our parks are bordered in water anyways, and we have open latrines or outhouses — this is one way to help clean up that,” Commissioner Frank Lucchese said. “It’s a great way to use this money. Any other way, and we probably would never be able to afford this.”
Federal guidelines state that ARP funding can be used to “support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure” by investing in water and sewer projects.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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