SAN ANGELO, Texas — After years of no restrooms (only portable toilets) available for use at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, the San Angelo City Council approved a resolution to this issue.
The City Council approved the San Angelo Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to submit grant applications to the Tucker Foundation ($25,000) and San Angelo Health Foundation ($225,000) for a total of $250,000.
The $250,00 grant would cover design work, site work, utilities (including water, sewer and electrical) and construction of the restrooms at the park.
“This money will be all inclusive. If both grants are approved then the development will begin as soon as possible. If not, then other options will be explored and the process of getting this done will be prolonged,” COSA Parks & Recreation Director Carl White said.
Operation and maintenance totaling approximately $12,000 per year will be expected from the City. The money would come from a general fund and the City would have to maintain a commitment to maintain the facility.
The lack of restrooms at parks in the area is not only reserved for MLK Park, but others including Glenwood. With that, the potential building of restrooms at MLK Park will be a model for the neighborhood parks that lack a restroom as well. This is all contingent on the grants being received.
Local NAACP President Sherley Spears says while this is a step in the right direction for the development of the long-awaited restrooms, receiving the grants is the next big goal, as of now.
“It’s a little early to celebrate. We hope the San Angelo Health Foundation and Tucker Foundation will approve our requests. Without it we may have to pull back the development because the city says they don’t have the money for it,” Spears said.
She said while there are always other options, the NAACP and the community are hoping and depending on these grant approvals so by next summer the public restrooms will be up and running for residents to utilize.
The NAACP will know if either grant was approved or denied by the end of this year. If they are approved, the restroom construction process will begin next year.