Point Defiance: Closing bathroom a waste

Re: “Restroom closure means Point Defiance ferry riders will have to hold it a bit longer” (TNT, 3/12).

Three government agencies with budgets in the millions and they can’t find $25,000 to keep one public restroom open? Stunning, leadership at its finest. But they do have the money to study the problem (if there is actually one) and monitor it. Mark my words, the Pt. Defiance bathroom will remain closed and another study will be done and it will be determined that the restroom should be torn down. Because it is so near the water, an environmental study will be required at the cost of thousands of dollars. Eventually, it will be torn down at a cost of $1,000,000 and the process will result in the parking lot to be closed for six months.

But that’s not the end. Five years later, someone will think it would be nice to have permanent restrooms to replace the portable toilets that have since been moved in to meet the demand. And a new study points out that paying $25,000 a year to maintain permanent toilets would be less expensive than the rental for the portable toilets. Back to square one millions of dollars later. Government at its finest.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Point Defiance: Closing bathroom a waste."