Victoria will aim to have all of its public park washrooms be fully accessible by 2030 - at the latest - as most of the facilities have gone half a century without an update.
Council approved an accessibility work plan for washrooms at its Jan. 19 committee of the whole meeting after receiving an audit on the conditions of current sites throughout the city.
That review found the city’s 18 public washroom buildings, built between 1960 and 2021, are in need of substantial investment to meet current accessibility standards and 83 per cent (15) of those require moderate to extensive upgrades.
Eleven of those washrooms opened before 1970 and while they’ve been maintained, they haven’t received any upgrades.
“The designs reflect previous standards which did not account for the level of accessibility and functionality required today,” a staff report stated. “Most of these facilities are nearing the end of their functional life and require upgrades to the building structure, plumbing and electrical systems.”
Council went with a staff-recommended seven-year upgrade timeline over another that would’ve seen all the work completed by 2028, but would have meant similar upgrades to other city facilities would be deferred. Overall, the work is expected to cost up to $14 million.
“Achieving these improvements requires large complex projects that are important to execute well and should not be rushed,” staff said at the committee meeting.
Thomas Soulliere, director of parks, recreation and facilities, said the washroom projects are considered a high priority as the city, during consultations for a number of plans, has heard the buildings are a significant barrier to those with accessibility needs using the parks.
The improvements will include ensuring people can properly access the facilities from the outside and be able to adequately move around inside the buildings, while having the appropriate accessible features available.
Staff will now start crafting designs for the updates this year and funding for each project will be allocated through future annual budgets.
Recent work included improvements to washrooms at Beacon Hill and Cecelia Ravine parks, which were completed in 2021. Staff added the plan is to annually fund gradual updates to the public facilities so the city doesn’t have to do substantial catch-up work again in the future.
Only Coun. Chris Coleman voted against the direction as he hoped council would’ve opted for the expedited timeline.
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