Restroom accessibility concerns did not stop approval for the Southlake Community Recreation Center's Phase I site plan Tuesday, but staff will bring alternative restroom plans back to the council this summer.
Councilwoman Carolyn Morris raised concerns over outdoor accessibility for restroom facilities at the city's planned center, a two-phase, $46.5 million budget capital project. The facility, planned to augment the city's Bicentennial Park, has been on the city's drawing board since initial discussions began in 1996.
For Morris, the presented site plan's reliance on extensive use of "comfort stations" for events at the planned amphitheater and outdoor gathering spaces did not meet expectations.
"I would ask the council to carefully consider that," Morris said. "We're spending a lot of money on this and it's a wonderful facility, but we can't not have adequate restroom facilities, even for Phase I."
Phase I work centers on a community events hall, senior activity center, community rooms, conference meeting space and a catering kitchen. Phase II plans include activity areas such as a fitness center, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor turf spaces, an aquatics center and weight room.
Portable toilets and a single outdoor restroom facility attached to the amphitheater would underserve needs if outdoor events are a hit at the center, Morris said. She contended that "nobody wants to use comfort stations," as portable toilets are not comfortable enough or clean enough, especially if formal events like outdoor weddings are scheduled in the space.
Mayor John Terrell echoed those concerns, as did Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Bledsoe. A motion to approve the site plan with notes that city staff would bring forward plans for enhanced outdoor restroom facilities passed 6-0-1. Newly elected councilman Shahid Shafi abstained after voicing some concerns about the center's ability to recover its costs of construction and operation. The total operating budget for both Phase I and II has been estimated at $3 million, said Community Services Director Chris Tribble, but there is no existing estimate for the Phase I operating costs alone. Construction for Phase I has been pegged at about $13.5 million on a budget of $14.8 million, leaving some leeway for adding additional restroom facilities to meet the City Council's requests.
