The Pulaski County Fairgrounds will soon get updated restrooms. Organizers of the Pulaski County 4-H Fair and Northern Indiana Power from the Past told the Winamac Park Board last week they plan to work together to improve accessibility at the facilities.
While the fairground buildings are generally maintained by those two groups, they’re located in the Winamac Town Park. The park board agreed to the improvements, which will include adjusting the restroom stalls and sinks to make them ADA-compliant.
Plans are also in the works to bring the approaches to the restrooms up to ADA standards. In the meantime, ADA-compliant port-a-johns will be in place during this summer’s 4-H Fair. Fair organizers also plan to fix the wiring in commercial buildings and install new bleachers in the back of the park.
At the same time, Park Board President Courtney Poor wants to move ahead with upgrades to the restrooms in the front of the park, as well. “The number-one thing when we did our five-year plan, according to the concerns of the citizenry, was the restroom,” he said.
Refurbishing the existing restrooms is considered difficult, due to the way the plumbing runs through the floor. Instead, Park Manager Dave DeLorenzo has presented a plan that would move one restroom to the other side of the shelter building, allowing for additional toilets and more room for wheelchairs. The men’s restroom, women’s restroom, and shelter building would technically be three separate structures, to avoid challenges with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ regulations.
DeLorenzo estimates the work will cost about $100,000. Poor said the park board doesn’t have the money set aside, yet. “My thought process is, frankly, we’ve got a gift fund that we’re using for the pavilion, and there’s some money left over,” he said. “This is just my opinion, one-fifth of the board: My opinion is we spend that. That could be, basically, our jumping-off point, committing that money, whatever that is, to this project, and then we would probably have to go out and raise money from the general populous.”
For now, board members plan to review the recommendations DeLorenzo has received from the DNR. They may also ask DNR officials to visit the site in person.
