For nearly six months, using the restroom at Himmel Park has meant taking a trip to porta-potty city.
The main restroom for the Midtown park, on North Tucson Boulevard near East Speedway, has been closed since arsonists torched the adjoining tennis pro shop in November.
The blaze mostly caused smoke damage to the shop, closing it.
But perhaps more importantly for many recent park visitors who have found themselves needing to go, the fire also chewed up the building's electrical wiring. As a result, the adjoining restrooms have no electricity. And so the city of Tucson closed the restrooms, citing the lack of power as well as some minor fire damage.
Repairs were supposed to be immediate, but the plans got caught up in city's bureaucracy, until nearly six months later, the city is just getting around to fixing the pro shop.
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"I think that the main issue was that when it came to our attention, it did not come directly to the Architecture and Engineering Division," said Octavio Santa Maria, project manager in the city's General Services Department.
Instead, the work went to Facilities Management, which does only maintenance.
The damage was "over their head," Santa Maria said.
So the project moved to Architecture and Engineering. But permits had to be filed for the work, which is essentially a full remodeling job. And it took time for the permits to get done.
Meanwhile, Santa Maria said Tucson Electric Power Co. would not turn the electricity back on for the restrooms without the appropriate permits — but it's debatable if the company could, anyway, because of the damage.
The permits came, but there was another hitch. All projects of more than $10,000 must be approved by City Manager Mike Hein's office, which Santa Maria said is a new policy.
Fred Gray, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department, said the project will cost about $56,000 and will range from demolition to cleaning ducts and walls while repairing wiring.
The project should take at least several more months, which means park users can look forward to continued use of the porta-potties for well into the summer.
— Josh Brodesky
Who's responsible
For problems with restrooms or any other park issues, call the city of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department at 791-4225.
Do you have a problem but you're getting nowhere in persuading government to respond and fix it? E-mail taxpayer@ azstarnet.com with the problem, your name and a phone number where you can be reached. Or call 573-4142.
