At their meeting today, selectmen will again take up the topic of North Conway Village’s lack of public toilets, a topic that has taken on additional urgency during the pandemic.
The selectmen will meet at the new town hall at 23 Main St. in Conway Village at 4 p.m. Their meeting can be viewed on Zoom; it is also live-streamed over Facebook.
On Monday, Town Manager Tom Holmes said he plans to update the board “on what we are doing as far as looking for a spot for permanent public restrooms, as well as coming up with a temporary seasonal solution for this summer.”
The issue of bathrooms has come up frequently since the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the valley in March because the cleaning requirements shut down facilities that otherwise would be open, such as those at the New England Ski Museum.
In December, Holmes listed three possible places for bathrooms: where the porta-potties were last year in Schouler Park; a “small wedge of land” near the North Conway Golf Course; and at the Depot Street parking lot.
However, selectmen pooh-poohed the idea of porta-potties in Schouler Park as a permanent solution. Selectman Carl Thibodeau suggested perhaps bathrooms could be built underground, and Selectmen John Colbath said a number of privately owned buildings that could be used instead.
Holmes said Monday that town staff had looked at a space inside a building in North Conway that was good in terms of location and size, but the cost of renovations to turn the building into bathrooms could run hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We are going to look at fundraising or grants and see what we can do along those lines,” said Holmes.
There were 30 responses to a November Tele-Talk question in the Sun: “Where would you like to see public bathrooms in North Conway Village?” The most popular spot (eight responses) was near the train station and Schouler Park. Other ideas included the fire station, info center, former Movie Gallery lot and Whitaker Woods.
Tied into the discussion of public facilities is how to pay for them. Holmes recently said the costs of dealing with the recreating crowds were offset last year by COVID-19 relief funds but said the town might not be so lucky this year.
The costs included doubling trash pickups and tripling the number of porta-potties. Such expenses could cost the town $50,000 next summer.
To solve that situation, selectmen agreed to have paid parking for Davis Park, the east side of First Bridge and Meeting House Road. Local residents and property owners would be exempt, according to Holmes’ proposal.
“Nothing is carved in stone yet, but I have yet to hear a selectman say they aren’t willing to give it to second homeowners,” said Holmes about parking stickers.
Asked if the second homeowners would be allowed to give their sticker to short-term renters, Holmes said not under his proposal as that would defeat the purpose of charging for parking.
He said stickers would have to be affixed to a property owner’s car and would not be transferable.
The cost of a daily parking pass has not been determined by selectmen yet, but Holmes has floated $20.
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