Wrangell wants more visitors and the money they bring to town. But to compete against all the other Southeast ports that also want more tourism dollars to flow into their economy, Wrangell needs to provide accommodations and activities to help make visitors’ time in town enjoyable.
That includes more public restrooms. Other than the two stalls in the small borough-owned restroom stop behind the Elks Lodge, and the facilities at the Nolan Center, there are no public restrooms in the downtown area. It’s not fair to expect businesses to provide the facilities.
Thankfully, the borough is answering the call. The Public Works Department recently reported it plans to set up a mobile restroom on the waterfront, near Front Street. Not port-a-potties, which are not very welcoming, but a trailer with four private stalls and sinks. The mobile unit will be connected to the borough sewage system.
The borough expects the trailer unit will cost about $100,000 to $120,000, far less than expanding the public restroom building behind the Elks, which has been estimated at $400,000 to $500,000. The plan is to set up the trailer in late spring and remove it in the fall.
Caitlin Cardinell, executive director of the Stikine River Jet Boat Association, raised the issue of too few public restrooms at a borough assembly meeting last spring. “When a thousand people flood into town,” Cardinell said, “one of the most common questions I get asked is, ‘Where are the restrooms?’”
As of next spring, there will be one more answer to that question.
— Wrangell Sentinel
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