New restrooms questionable for July 4

Patrons of the Demorest City Park may have to make do with porta-potties through the Independence Day holiday. With the current status of the restroom area at the park, only dirt and concrete are within the fence, and it may be more than a month until restrooms are available to park-goers.

Demorest City Manager Mark Musselwhite noted that the city is working hard on getting the ball moving for this project.

“I officially took over the day-to-day management of the park on Wednesday of last week,” Musselwhite said. “I’m going back and researching and contacting each of the bids we had received for the project back in December and January. I’m asking them to reaffirm their bid. I think it’s going to be questionable whether it can be done; we still have sitework to be done. They planned to start (Monday) even though we knew it was supposed to rain.”

Musselwhite noted that he would have a better timeline for completion when the sitework phase of this project is complete and said that the Independence Day goal isn’t impossible, but it’s uncertain, as of now.

Musselwhite noted the area has had some work done.

“Back in December, we demolished the old restrooms that have been there since the 50s. So the site was cleaned up. We installed additional stormwater drainage with new piping and holding areas for that. The site is roughly graded,” Musselwhite said.

In order to keep going, the area is going to need dirt brought in, and the area leveled and compacted.

The Demorest City Park is a high-traffic park, according to Musselwhite, and it is only getting more popular as summer hits and school ends until August. When the new restroom area comes in, it will feature a men’s, women’s and family area. Outside, it will include a pavilion-style area with seating covered in the shade. Until completion, porta-potties are available at the park near Massachusetts Street. According to Musselwhite, if the construction is not completed by the July holiday, additional portable rest areas will be made available at the park for the expected crowds.

The new city hall, previously Demorest Elementary School, came with more than just the cement-structure building. Behind the building is a baseball field, an asphalt basketball court and will soon include swings on the already-in-place swingset.

“Really, we have two parks,” Musselwhite said about the newly purchased areas. “Folks may not remember; it’s like a little league baseball field. We’ve got a perimeter fence all of the way around it. A lot of people have been taking their dogs in there. Some people have been leaving doggy bags for people to use, so we are just trying to show this ballfield is another way for people to come and enjoy the parks.”

Musselwhite said that more signs are coming to the area, and work to seal the basketball court is the goal.

The gym previously used for the elementary school is between the city hall and the new park area on Florida Street. Work on the gym is still being done, but after completion, Demorest City Council will decide the hours the space is open to the public.