They’re one of those things you don’t often think about until you really, really need one.
They’re one of those things you don’t often think about until you really, really need one.
As far as infrastructure announcements go, public washrooms aren’t going to turn a lot of heads, either.
MP Helena Jaczek, the minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, was in town on Tuesday and – rightfully – focused her time speaking about the $10 million her government has committed to the Stratford Festival’s pandemic recovery. At the very bottom of the press release, however, was funding for another Stratford project: $337,500 to improve the city’s outdoor dining areas and upgrade public washrooms.
Thankfully, it turns out there are unheralded people in Stratford pondering the state of the city’s public commodes.
One of them is local tourism boss Zac Gribble.
“Some tourism infrastructure projects are not sexy at all,” Gribble, the executive director of Destination Stratford, said Wednesday. “Infrastructure in terms of how to get around – cycling, sidewalks – these are things that fly below the radar. A big one that’s rising (in Stratford), though, is public washrooms. I don’t think anyone would argue that there (isn’t) a shortage of washrooms throughout the downtown core and the park system.”
Gribble wasn’t asked to speak on Tuesday, but he does think Stratford residents will be interested to know about the upgrades planned for the public washrooms at the boathouse near York Street. This fall, the old tourism information kiosk used prior to the pandemic will be gutted in favor of expanding and modernizing the structure’s washroom facilities.
Despite his best efforts, Gribble hasn’t been able to pin down the exact age of of the boathouse, but its facilities are “outdated,” he said. The project will more than double the amount of stalls, add a universal washroom and make the street-level structure more accessible.
Perhaps most importantly, the washrooms will then be open year-round, unlike many of the downtown facilities Stratford typically closed during the winter months.
That’s important for a number of reasons, Gribble said.
The city’s relatively new winter festival, Lights On Stratford, attracted 80,000 visitors last season and tourism officials are shooting for a bigger milestone this year. New washrooms will go a long way towards supporting an effort to make Stratford a Southwestern Ontario destination during all 12 months of the year.
“We need to make sure there is an opportunity for these basic core infrastructure (pieces) to be in place and many, many local residents have communicated in terms of need,” Gribble said. “What we’re trying to focus on … is projects that are a win for the community that improve the quality of life for local residents while at the same time improving our opportunities for destination development.
“Of course a huge part of it is the funding, so we were really excited about FedDev’s announcement (this week). It is our goal to try and get the project done and launched for this winter so that we are actually significantly expanding the number of year-round public washrooms available for the community and for visitors.”
In the summer, the boathouse is a high-traffic area where residents and visitors can buy ice-cream and rent paddleboats for the Avon River. Those popular activities won’t be affected, Gribble said.
The public washroom upgrade in Stratford wasn’t the only local project that was overshadowed during Tuesday’s announcement. FedDev also announced an additional $500,000 for one of the lighting displays being installed during this year’s winter festival in Stratford.
In St. Marys, a $255,300 grant will help the town purchase and install new signage, including a digital kiosk, that will bolster land acknowledgment and wayfinding. The money will help officials execute plans originally made prior to the pandemic, said Kelly Deeks-Johnston, the town’s manager of economic development and tourism.
“Our signage and wayfinding is extremely outdated,” she said. “From a tourism perspective, there’s a need to start identifying where our assets are. The pandemic has taught us a lot about self-guided (tours) and day-tripping and we’d like to implement more of that for people.”
The Stratford Perth Museum also received $55,500 to install a sound system, seating, shade sail and parking for its new outdoor stage.