By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Last year, the Great Bend Recreation Commission focused on repainting the City Auditorium and replacing the lighting above the gym with LED lights. At Monday’s meeting, the Great Bend Rec Board approved the remodel of the main restrooms on the northwest corner of the City Auditorium.
Great Bend Rec Director Chris Umphres said there is occasional flooding from the urinals and chipping paint and an overhaul is needed which will be more ADA compliant.
"The biggest issue we ran into was making sure we were ADA compliant," said Umphres. "Right now, we have one ADA bathroom stall in both the men's and women's but it's not up to code. With the remodel, we'll lose one toilet in each restroom and make the stall bigger."
While the restroom was added years after the construction of the auditorium, Rec administration believed everything in the bathroom was original from the 1970s. The City of Great Bend owns the property, but the Rec maintains the City Auditorium.
"We've fixed some things along the way," said Umphres. "The ceiling tiles are new and the lighting is new. This is just the last part of it. The City Auditorium project as a whole, this is the last piece to get it back going."
Three separate contractors will be used for the project that brings a total cost just under $80,000. Umphres expects the remodel to take place between May and September.
