March 04, 2005

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Publication Date: Friday, March 04, 2005

City nixes restroom in deference to veterans' feelings

The veterans won the battle against placing a public restroom on the side of the Veterans Memorial Building on Main Street, convincing City Council members they felt it would be an insult to those who have fought for our country.

"The Vet's Hall is a memorial to our veterans, a shrine that each veteran in here is willing to protect with his life," said David Ham, quartermaster of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6298, at Tuesday night's meeting. "I'm asking you to consider what this building means to us." The veterans do not want their building to be known as "a public outhouse," he said.

"This would be the equivalent of installing a port-a-potty in the center of the Golden Gate Bridge and expecting the public to find it acceptable," said Ray Cloutier, chaplain for the VFW Post 6298.

In 2000, the city hired a consultant and a task force was formed to develop a plan to upgrade the 1933 veterans building. The design keeps the outside looking the same and restores both inside and out to its former glory, while bringing it up to code.

Last year, the Pleasanton Downtown Association suggested adding a public lavatory, in keeping with the Downtown Specific Plan policy to add restrooms downtown. After reviews last May and June, the consultants decided the best option was to add a unisex single-fixture public restroom to the south side, on Old Bernal Avenue, to be accessible only from the outside. Veterans groups objected to the plans then, citing concerns about security and maintenance.

The Planning Commission approved the design in January, with the conditions that the Parks and Community Services Department work with the police to determine how to best operate the restroom, including cleaning it twice a day, and that it have a diaper-changing station, be soundproof and have adequate ventilation.

"It would help the PDA achieve one of its goals," PDA president Mike Madden told the council Tuesday. "If there are problems, the PDA will be the first to say, 'Let's shut it down.'"

But 10 veterans and women's auxiliary members proceeded to speak eloquently about the symbolism of the building for those who have served their country in the military. Several noted shoddy treatment of soldiers returning from Vietnam and the building's role as a refuge, and the degradation it would suffer housing a public toilet.

"It's sort of like an insult to me personally," said Dan Soria, past commander of the Pleasanton VFW post and a task force member. He said the task force compromised as it discussed upgrades, and the public restroom was not added until the end.

"I'm sorry this has become an issue of patriotism. I'm flabbergasted by that," said Michael O'Callaghan, a downtown contractor. "That's not how the PDA and I feel. This is by no means a slight on the building or the veterans' status in our country."

Councilman Steve Brozosky said that although he did not think the restroom would have interfered with the use of the building or detract from its important symbolism, he was "giving in to the emotion here" and respecting the veterans' feelings.

"I feel the emotion that was in the room tonight, a lot more than I expected," said Councilwoman Cindy McGovern.

Councilman Matt Sullivan also noted that one bathroom does not really fill the need when 20,000 people attend a downtown event.

The council members agreed that they wanted to respect the viewpoint of the veterans, and they voted unanimously to honor their wishes and scrap plans for the restroom.

They also found the plan unacceptable because the restroom would not be open until spring 2007, when the renovation of the building is complete. They agreed it was important to expedite installing other public restrooms.

City Manager Nelson Fialho said $400,000 has been set aside for downtown restrooms, with three locations in the plans - DeLucchi Park, Lions Wayside Park and the Firehouse Arts Center.

The council directed staff to come back to the next meeting with information on the three sites. Fialho said he would include a timeline, although he had stated that a public restroom downtown could be completed within a year if it went through the public processes smoothly.

Renovations to the building include electrical and plumbing upgrades; seismic strengthening; improved acoustics; telecommunications and modern data systems; overhauling the heating system and installing air conditioning; adding more toilet facilities; and upgrading the kitchen for catering.

The cost is estimated at $3 million, already funded in the city's capital improvement program. Adding the public restroom would have cost another $50,000, said Planning Director Jerry Iserson.

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