Relief in Palmer may cost $168,000

PALMER — A request for proposals has gone out for a new restroom facility next to the Visitors Center, a project with a price tag of $168,000.

When completed, the restrooms will serve the downtown area year-round and replace the temporary toilets, said City Manager Bill Allen. They will be the facilities not only for the center, but for city events like the Friday Flings and Colony Christmas celebrations, he said.

The state gave the city $100,000 for the project, and the city council approved its share of $68,000.

“This is a really high priority for the council,” Allen said. “They are embarrassed about what they have to offer now.”

The city was expected to purchase the package of one of the proposals this week. The city typically does not get appropriations from the state until the beginning of August, Allen said. In preparation, construction should start in the first half of July. The finished product should be operational by the middle of August, Allen said.

Asked why the seemingly high price tag, Allen said by the time the facility is built with heated floors, and it’s connected to city water and sewer, the money goes fast.

The plans call for the facility to follow the log cabin style of the Visitors Center and perhaps have rock wainscoting. It will be built with an eye toward low-maintenance costs, Allen said.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or (907) 352-2252.