Feb 1 newspaper standard

Hold on – public toilet closed for now SOME Port Albert residents have raised concerns about the timing of the public toilet block near the wa ter tower as preparations begin for the construction of a new public toi let block on the old site. that “The toilet block at the Port Albert Wa ter Tower will be closed between 30 Janu ary and 30 June 2023 while construction of a new, fully accessible facility is built. Locals and visitors will still be able to access the nearby toilet block at the Rutter Park Play ground, only 300 meters away during the temporary closure period.” The floor plan of the new public toilet block to be built at Port Albert.

They say that closing the toilets is not ideal given that there is still a lot of summer to come as well as Easter at a time Port Al bert continues to see many tourists visiting the area. “Not to mention the number of fishers and overnight caravans who utilise this facil ity on a daily basis, now they will have to hold on until they get around to the Rutter Park public toilets which is a few minutes away and not always convenient especially if have young children,” one local resident said when saw the notice on the old toilet block which informed residents and visitors of its impending closure for the next five months. “We appreciative the we will be getting a new toilet block but feel the timing of the closure and the new build could have been better planned,” they said. The current toilet block located near the water tower was closed on Monday ready for the contractors to move in and demolish it ready for the commencement of works on the new toilet block. Funding for the new toilet block was provided by the Federal Governments back in 2022 as part of the Local Roads and Com munity Infrastructure program. Public opinion was sought mid last year as to what style of façade the community preferred to replace the existing public toi let facility. The existing toilet block was construct ed more than 30 years ago. Community voted option 1 as their pre ferred design. The replacement facility has been de signed to address safety risks by having all cubicles opening to the active area. A spokesperson from Council advised

Wellington Shire Council advised that timing of the closure was decided to coin cide with the ending of the school holiday period. “Considering Port Albert’s large tourist population, construction of the replacement toilet block will take place after the summer school holiday period to minimise impact on holiday makers,” they said. RAL Constructions Pty Ltd is the com pany charged with delivering the new public toilet facility for Port Albert. A concept design photo of the new public toilet block which will be built on the site of the old public toilet block near the Water Tower over the next few months.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 5