Antioch City Manager Ron Bernal reported in his City Manager Report this week that progress has been made on a compromise regarding the proximity of a restroom near the Veterans Memorial at the Marina Boat Launch Restroom at the tip of L Street.
Our recent editorial highlighted how the veterans became upset with a bathroom right next to the memorial and how they were told one thing and the city built another even though the project was in the works since 2009.
Long story short, in December of 2018, the city re-bid the project and during the January 8, 2019 meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve the bid of $424,417 which was $77k more than the engineers estimate–the staff report did not include plans of the project, a map, or real background of what had transpired since 2010. The funding for the project is through a grant the city earned several years ago.
Upon start of construction, that is when the veterans became upset and began threatening to boycott city events and raise awareness that Antioch was not veteran friendly.
In response, last week, Bernal met with JR Wilson and Tom Menasco to discuss the project, here is what Bernal stated:
Marina Boat Launch Representatives of the veteran’s community J.R. Wilson and Tom Menasco and I met to discuss the proximity of the new Marina Boat Launch Restroom to the Veteran’s Memorial at the foot of L Street. Understandably, the veteran’s were unhappy about how close the restroom, approved in 2009, is to the Memorial. As a prominent veteran’s supporter, the City’s goal is to always show respect and honor to everyone who has served our Country through service in the armed forces.
A solution that appealed to all three of us is to move the Memorial to the median island where the Dog Memorial and flag pole are located. This allows us to create a Veteran’s Memorial Wall and landscape the area where the Memorial currently sits.
The City Council will consider final plans for this proposal for approval.
It is unclear when the City Council will take up the proposal, but its concept is believed to be discussed at the upcoming August 13, 2019 meeting. No drawings or plans were provided.
7 comments
I bet the dogs and the flag won’t be happy either!!!
You can’t please everybody, and moving the Memorial makes sense.
$424k for a restroom. While no help for the homeless, especially those made homeless by Council decisions.
The homeless will be the ones using the restrooms.
They can do lots of meth in them. Love how the bathrooms are by the pot heads that hang out right in the corner of the parking lot
Just move the memorial to another location. The turn about works. Problem solved.
There are several locations down there you could move both memorials to and build a very nice area for everyone. The city is just not thinking again.
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