Today – Monday, July 2nd – Ocean Beach gets its Brighton Avenue beach restroom back – or at least a new version. The beach “comfort station” is unveiled at an 11:00 a.m. ceremony today. Councilmember Kevin Faulconer will be on hand as he opens this facility for the public to enjoy for many summers to come.
The City is so proud of this. The restrooms will officially open on Ocean Beach in time for the Fourth of July holiday.
A press release from Faulconer’s office went to great lengths to hide the frustrations and false-starts that the City forced the community to go through with a more-than two year effort to replace the old structure, which fell apart so many moons ago, we forgot when. (We really can’t fault Faulconer’s office for attempting a positive spin on the entire thing.) But here is what it stated:
The City of San Diego went to great lengths to replace a condemned 1960’s-era restroom structure with a new building that incorporates the distinctive character of Ocean Beach to delight locals and visitors alike.
The new structure – oh, we mean, the “custom designed comfort station” has 3 new showers, six toilets, local architecture and Ocean Beach-inspired art, andbike racks. This is the first time O.B. visitors will have access to permanent public beach restrooms and showers since 2009.
More from the press release:
Unique design features include solar panels that generate the energy needed to run the facility; a creative geometric shape without a single 90 degree angle along the entire wall; the letters “Ob” carved into the west wall; design concept by local architectural firm Kevin deFreitas Architects; and a large scale art work by former Ocean Beach resident Shinpei Takeda that covers the entire roof.
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And Kevin Faulconer once again ventures into to OB for a photo op. Is there another city project in OB so he will have to drag himself away from the SDYC and we get to see our “representative” again sometime soon?
Good work Kevin. Now, I have a place to stop before heading home from Dog Beach. I am glad for all the city projects that provide a photo ops. Also, Mr Faulconer routinely shows up to support volunteer organizations in OB and Point Loma. May be if Jack wants to see more of Kevin he might try community service opportunities.
Ha! Good one RB! Thanks for the laugh….
Very apropro that our City Councilman schleps to OB to pimp out a toilet since he is kind of all full of shit. I told that troll off when he endorsed Bonnie Dumanis for Mayor and my feelings haven’t changed. He’s all about that next cushy job he can find so he can continue to suckle at the public trough. Well, at least the comfort station is finally open!
Well politics aside, I’m appreciative of the public restrooms the City has built for my use while I enjoy the beach in my backyard. The design is cool, the bike racks convenient, the fact that it generates 100% of its own power is responsible, and has way better natural light and ventilation than the previous version is good enough for me. As far as I’m concerned the City did right by OB on this one.
New comfort station, lovely. Bike racks, yea!! 3 showers, very cool. No doors on the stalls except for one….FREAKING RIDICULOUS!!
I went to use it on Sunday when the weather wasn’t great, so the beach wasn’t very crowded. I go in, see a long line and I wait…and wait…and then I finally realize…every single person in line is waiting ONLY for the ONE STALL that has a door!! I even asked, and yup, that was what they were all waiting for!
I look in the door-less stalls and sure enough, no one in them, they would all rather wait in line!! I said screw this, and peed in front of everyone. Ok, most aren’t going to have no shame like me, but there you go.
And remember, this was not a sunny, crowded beach day. So, I can’t wait to see what happens with that line…it will be out the main door! They really dropped the ball on this one IMHO.
Granted, it’s certainly a nice comfort station, and much needed, but isn’t anyone worried that the structure is too nice for the beach, and only adds to the encroaching gentrification?
Funny you say that. I thought that other than the door sitch, these were possibly the nicest bathrooms I had ever seen at a beach. Almost too nice for my funky town. Never thought of it as gentrification. But now you got me thinking…..
can’t wait to see/use it, sounds like quite a “work of art?” art-toilets: are our beach bathrooms going “contempo?” no wonder they went over-budget…
well, all the world admires the breath and scope of the american “bathroom” …