OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The town of Old Orchard Beach hopes to have more bathroom access for beachgoers next summer.
Late this summer, the town received complaints from those who said they witnessed people relieving themselves outside near the beach and on private property.
Municipal public bathrooms are located in the downtown area, but not nearby other access points to the beach.
A “small working group” met last week to address how to increase number of toilet options, said Town Manager Larry Mead at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting.
Mead said though the bathroom issue was “somewhat overblown” by media.
“There was an issue there that definitely needed to have some attention,” Mead said.
Mead said the group is focusing its efforts in the area between downtown and Ocean Park.
He said there was no quick or easy solution to the problem, and if there was, the town would have already put in additional rest rooms.
“It’s not as simple as placing portable toilets at every beach access point. I wish that it were,” he said. He said most beach access points are surrounded by residences and installing a bathroom would negatively impact nearby homes if the facility was too close to porches and windows.
“We are working with a goal of identifying options for next summer,” he said.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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