By Michael Howell
Last Wednesday, March 16, the Ravalli County Commissioners decided to chip in a couple thousand dollars towards the installation of a restroom facility in Victor Park. Following the recommendation of the Ravalli County Park Board, the commissioners approved the expenditure of $2,000 from the Park Board funds to add the finishing touches to the $66,500 project.
According to Roger DeHaan, Victor Park Board Chairman, the project has been in the works for almost two years. The $2,000 grant from the county park board was the last in a string of grants obtained to amass the full funding for the project. Others included a $25,000 grant from Montana FWP Recreational Trails fund, a $25,000 grant from the Rapp Family Foundation, a $10,000 grant from Farmers State Bank, and $5,000 grant from the Victor Park Board.
The facility will be built at Victor Park, replacing the portable toilet in use for years with a set of flush toilets hooked to the town’s sewer system. The restroom was originally designed on a larger scale but was reduced when the bids came in too high. The final design includes two toilet stalls on the women’s side and a stall and urinal on the men’s side. DeHaan said that the restroom will have a good steel roof and a decorative porch entrance.
“It will look a lot like the restroom facility at the City of Hamilton’s River Park,” said DeHaan.
It will also be a crucial restroom stop on the bike trail running from Missoula to Hamilton along Highway 93. DeHaan said that the bathroom was a great deal for the community and for the bike trail users. He said it will be one of the few public restroom stops available between Florence and Hamilton, other than those in private businesses.
Schrock Construction was awarded the bid on the project and work will probably begin in a couple of weeks and could possibly be finished by May, according to DeHaan.