When Black Pot Beach Park reopens to the public in June, it will not yet have a new, state-of-the art restroom unlike any ever seen before on Kauai.
But a plan unveiled at a meeting in Hanalei on Thursday showed a novel new structure that gets around requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency that, at one time after last April’s floods, would have required that the replacement be on concrete piers 18 feet off the ground. To accommodate disabled users, such a stilt-built structure would have required a handicapped ramp 100-feet long.
But Doug Haigh, of the county building department, who is leading the project, said FEMA agreed to accept a substitute design that will keep the restroom at ground level and enable the architectural design to be subdued and conservative.
The secret is that what will look like an enclosed building will actually be a pavilion whose roof will cover two trailers — movable toilet facilities that will be connected to a new wastewater treatment system below ground. The
trailers, which will be moved very short distances every 90 days or so to maintain the reality that they are transportable, will be capable of being trucked away from the site in the event of an impending storm.
The county, Haigh said, considered seeking a FEMA exemption from the elevation requirement until it was discovered that it is a national standard imposed by FEMA for all beachfront restrooms. The requirements are not appealable, but FEMA has agreed to accept the county’s novel approach.
“All the beach parks in Hawaii have this same problem,” said Haigh of the dilemma of keeping oceanfront toilet facilities safe in the event of a severe storm.
New beach park restrooms developed on Kauai will follow the design concept to be rolled out at Black Pot, he said.
County officials did not provide a cost estimate for the new facility, which is still in the planning stage, but they released an artist’s conception. Construction is planned to be complete by year’s end.
Meanwhile, the newly reopened Black Pot park will be available to the public in June, at the same time a repaired section of Weke Road is ready. The project will restore Black Pot to public access, with new parking and other facilities consistent with a plan originally unveiled in 2017.
There will be 156 regular parking stalls, with enough room for another 60 overflow stalls and 18 spaces for boat trailers.
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Allan Parachini is a journalist, furniture maker, retired public relations executive and Kilauea resident who writes periodically for The Garden Island.
why bother building a restroom if drunk locals are just going to trash it and put it out of commission?
A novel approach with one gaping information gap. Where will it be towed when a storm approaches?
Congrats Doug for a creative solution to a bureaucratic problem. The County has been well served thanks to your dedication and innovation.