JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
A new prefabricated bathroom facility was delivered to Makle Park Friday morning. With the help of borough employees, the driver of a flatbed carrying the bathroom negotiated a tight turn from 5th Street and backed into Avenue N—and finally into the park—where the bathroom will be installed.
Earlier this year, Columbia Borough Council approved the purchase of the $150,000 facility as part of a broader improvement project funded primarily through state grants.
The bathroom was purchased through COSTARS, a cooperative purchasing program, and represents just one component of a $597,875 improvement project at Makle Park. The borough previously secured $478,300 in funding through the 2022 C2P2 (Community Conservation Partnerships Program) Recreation Development grant, with the borough providing a required match of $119,575.
The overall project includes:
● Resurfacing of the basketball courts
● Resurfacing and striping of the park’s 19-space parking lot
● Construction of restrooms and a picnic pavilion
● Installation of new amenities including benches, trash receptacles, picnic tables, and bike racks
● Associated landscaping and stormwater management enhancements
The bathroom purchase is fully covered by grant funding with no projected expenses through fiscal year 2029.
The Ozark II bathroom building measures 10’6″ × 18’8″ and features two single-user flush restrooms, a 4-gallon water heater, interior and exterior lights, and will arrived pre-loaded.
For this order, the borough selected several upgrades totaling $17,000, including stainless steel water closets, lavatories, and urinals, electric hand dryers, toilet seat cover dispensers, sanitary napkin disposal receptacles, and an exterior frostproof hose bib. The customer also opted for split face block wall texture at $5,500.
Columbia Spy 