A trio of portable toilets will provide a welcome respite in the coming days as the city takes the plunge on an interior/exterior revitalization of downtown’s public restrooms downtown.
Donor funds will relieve taxpayers of a substantial amount of the cost, according to Gladewater City Manager Charlie Smith, privy to the contractors’ project scope.
“We’re going to have these things closed for about a week, give them a total facelift,” he said. “I also want to make sure people know it was donations that went toward this.
“They’re going to be really nice when we get done.”
Across the street, another key project was ready-to-start Nov. 18 before wet weather moved in and chased off the crew.
It’s been about a year since the City of Gladewater acquired property immediately south of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, and a promised fence at the core of the deal will soon take shape. Working around the rain, White Oak’s Silver Star Fabrication is handling the $150,000 task to install a wrought-iron barrier south of the tracks and spanning four blocks from Ferry Street to the East Broadway Avenue crossing.
Contractors are at work on an interior/exterior facelift of Gladewater’s public restrooms downtown. Donor-funded, the project should be completed within a week, plenty of time to spare before the community’s annual Christmas Parade, rolling out at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 with the theme ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Historic Downtown Gladewater.’ (Photos by James Draper)
Those costs, too, are being offset by private contributions – individuals, families and organizations are invited to purchase a section of the six-foot tall, flat-top fence for $1500 per stretch with an eight-inch tall personalized nameplate at the upper edge.
“Now would be the time to do it since they’re pre-fab,” Smith added. There are plenty left to reserve: “We’re somewhere around 14 right now.”
The fence project will start on either side of Main Street and extend in either direction, he noted.
“When we bought this property from the railroad, that was one of the requirements.”
Construction on the fence will likely continue into the New Year. To sponsor a section, call 903-845-2196.
Across the street, Smith anticipates the bathroom project will only take about a week. The next big event that would put them to use will be the annual community Christmas Parade at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.
“There’s new lighting, new fans, the interior damage will be repaired,” Smith said. “There’s going to be new paint on everything, inside and outside. At some point, I’d like to talk to somebody about doing murals on the side.”