As part of a Special Council Meeting on January 11th, Town of Huntsville Council will discuss the final site plan design for the permanent washroom solution at River Mill Park (Report OPS-2023-01).
“We are thrilled to see this facility in the final stage of planning,” notes Tarmo Uukkivi Director of Operations and Protective Services. “The report and discussion at the Jan 11 Council Meeting will be on the site work undertaken to date to install year-round access to washrooms in River Mill Park as well as the recommended final design, options to provide new trees, new plantings and a new seasonally maintained trail – a trail that will become part of a strategy to connect people to places in Town.”
In September of 2022, Council provided approval for the ready-made washroom solution and the contract was awarded through RFP process to Niu Smart Toilet. The Town of Huntsville’s goal is to have the new facility operating no later than May 1, 2023 in time to enhance Huntsville’s peak summer season.
Site planning and preparation is currently underway. The report outlines recent tree limb clearing conducted by the power provider as a necessary part of routine power line safety work as well as to prepare the washroom site for power. As a result of this work, the tree limb clearing left some trees misshapen and imbalanced and staff concerned for tree health, secured an in-depth arborists assessment. The arborists’ recommendation included the removal of many mature trees to help ensure public safety and protect the new building from potential damage.
At the upcoming January 11 Special Council Meeting, Councillors will hear staff recommendations based on the arborist’s findings, as well as make a decision on tree removal and staff’s recommendations for the final site plan for the washroom; with an option to consider new landscape work featuring Indigenous Peoples traditional medicines: cedar and sweetgrass, planting additional trees and species appropriate for the location as well as clearing and restoring a walking trail between key roadways and traveled paths.
Watch the January 11 Special Council meeting live online starting at 9:00am and view the Report OPS-2023-01 at Huntsville.ca.
