That darn city council just doesn’t care about your bladder. They just shelved plans to build a $308,820 restroom building on the north side of Phoenix Park, near the farmers market. Volume One feels your pain. At the summer concert series on the labyrinth, we get 10 requests a night for directions to the bathroom, and when we say “on the other side of RCU,” people get visually agitated. Sometimes, people get mad at us, like we’re the ones who built it so far away, just so we could see them walk two city blocks to pee. And the farmers market pavilion is even further away.

$300k (plus) is lot for a can, man. I haven’t seen the plans, but I assume the high cost is so the facility can visually match the rest of the park and its other structures. Which basically means that the building would be shaped like a giant, solid gold phoenix poised to rocket upwards towards the heavens from the lush green grass of the park. I’m no city parks and recreation superintendent, but that’s what I’d build. Whether we’re talking about a bathroom, a storage shed, or a gazebo – huge golden mythical birds are pretty much how I roll.

At any rate, the council thinks the price tag is too high right now. They are probably right. It’s too bad – when the current (trail head) bathroom location was planned, people didn’t realize how many large-scale events would find a home on the other end of the park. Although, I’m not sure how many people they thought would show up at the farmers market.

On a side note, the council has decided to forgo any kind of election to fill the council seat left vacant by Pres. Kerry Kincaid. They are now accepting applications. If you’re a city resident who’s 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, and qualified to vote, then YOU could be on the city council. Details.