Wellington City Council discusses plans for park

By Sun Advocate

At the regularly scheduled Wellington council meeting, preliminary plans for the new restroom and kiosk area for the city park were discussed.
Several ideas were brought up by councilmembers to better the plans being made for the restrooms at the Wellington City Park.
The idea of motion activated lighting was brought up by one council member to cut back on electricity costs.
Timers on the locks for the restrooms were another idea. It was thought that this could prevent vandalism that could occur after hours.
Automatic locks would also cut back on the need for someone to check the area and lock the doors manually.
Sensors on the toilets was also discussed as a possibility for the restrooms.
The sensors would not need much power and would run on nine volt batteries that could last up to one year.
The Wellington councilmembers discussed having ceramic tile on the floors and up the walls.
The officials thought that the ceramic tile would be the easiest material to clean.
Also being added to the park is a kitchen area where local groups could have barbecues or picnics, according to the officials at the meeting.
The kitchen would be available to rent out and would include a microwave and possibly a refrigerator for storage.
The addition of a center island is also a possibility for the kitchen.
A center island would give extra room for local residents who would be preparing food in the area.
A barbecue or broiler might also be purchased for use by Wellington employees when having city related activities.
The barbecue or boiler would likely run off a natural gas hook up outside of the kitchen.
If purchased, the boiler or barbecue might not be available for use for private groups.
Keeping such materials clean is a possible problem for the city.
A three department sink is required by the health department, along with a hand sink and a prep sink. This would make it helpful to keep cleanliness while preparing food in the kitchen.
Pop machines would be located outside of the kitchen. These would be kept in metal cages to prevent vandalism or theft. Mayor Houskeeper discussed the possible need for longer overhangs on the building to protect the machines. The expense might be too much for it to be a necessity.
The kitchen area would be locked at all times unless being rented by a group or being used for a city activity.
The use of security cameras was also debated by the council. Some council members believe that they would be destroyed by vandals if they were found. Other members brought up the possibility of having the cameras hidden or placed high up on light or telephone poles to prevent them from being broken.
Extra power outlets for the area was also brought up. This would be for the inside and the outside of the kitchen area. Power outlets could be used for activities the city is planning, including powering a few booths that might be set up during activities. The possibility of placing the outlets inside of a metal box that could be locked when not being used was also brought to council members attention. The locks could prevent visitors of the park from using them and also help keep electricity costs down.
Final plans for the construction will be discussed again at a later date after more of the council member ideas have been considered for the plans.