As Memorial Day approaches some local veterans are frustrated that Pensacola’s Veterans Memorial Park is still stuck renting port-a-potties for big events.
The Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola is hosting a Memorial Day Ceremony at 1 p.m. May 24 to “honor the brave men and women who lost their lives protecting our freedoms.”
The program is expected to draw around 1,000 people, and the port-a-potties are necessary because long-awaited, permanent restrooms are still not available on-site. despite years of effort
“It’s a shame. It doesn’t say much for what the city values,” said past Foundation President and Capt. USN Ret. Butch Hansen. “It tears your heart out when you see some of the veterans that would like to spend some time down there, but they can’t.”
Hansen and others say the lack of facilities is a deterrent to those who would visit the “Jewel on the Bay,” including elderly veterans and school age children on fieldtrips.
“It would certainly be nice to have a bathroom down there,” said USMC Veteran Stan Barnard, the foundation’s director of facilities operations. “People’s families come to town, and they go to visit, and then they’ve got to go to the bathroom and there isn’t one, so they’ve got to leave.”
The Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola, which maintains the monuments and landscaping at the park, has been seeking a restroom facility at the park for over a decade.
Their efforts have been met with delays and even a lawsuit by nearby property owners when the city allowed the foundation to install a bathroom trailer at the site, purchased with a grant the foundation received from IMPACT 100.
The most recent delay came last December when Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said bids for the bathrooms came in over budget, and the project was put on hold while the city pursued other options, possibly even a Portland Loo at the site.
The city says it fully supports bathrooms at the park but the project hasn’t gotten off the ground for several reasons,` including rising costs and the foundation rejecting various proposals.
“The city agrees that bathrooms are needed at Veterans Memorial Park, and the more that both sides are motivated to get this done, the better,” said city of Pensacola spokesperson Shannon Nickinson.
U.S. Navy veteran and Foundation President John Maddox said he will have more to add to the conversation after meeting with the city. They’re scheduled to meet next week to discuss next steps.
“We understand the concern and frustration regarding restroom facilities at Veterans Memorial Park,” Maddox said. “The foundation shares that concern, and providing a permanent restroom solution has been a priority. The foundation remains committed to working toward a solution that serves the veterans and visitors who use the park.”
Veteran’s Memorial Park was unveiled in 1992.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dave Glassman has been involved with it for years now, and he says getting a restroom facility there has been a continuous effort.
“It’s beyond infuriating that they don’t have a bathroom there,” said Glassman, who was a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. “The situation is embarrassing.”
In 2023, at the foundation’s urging and the city’s request, the Florida Legislature approved a $750,000 grant for a restroom and education center at the park. The grant carried a two-year deadline and was granted a one-year extension.
The city has spent about $150,000 of the grant on engineering work.
Hansen said the grant is set to expire again this June and the city indicated it received another extension, but he and others are frustrated with the repeated delays.
“It’s our opinion that it just doesn’t pass the giggle test that you’ve got three quarters of a million dollars from the state, and you tell me with three quarters of a million dollars and three years so far, you couldn’t give a restroom to that park,” Hansen said.
Some are concerned the city simply isn’t making the project a priority, pointing to other parks that have them like Bruce Beach and Palafox Market, as well as Roger Scott Pool, which is closed this summer because the city is finally moving forward with a bathroom project there.
Nickinson says the city and the foundation are working toward the same goal, but getting on the same page about the plans has been challenging.
“We have continued to try to meet the needs and desires of the Veterans Memorial Park Foundation and to do so responsibly and within budget,” Nickinson said. “This is an ask that they have had for more than 12 years. The appropriation for it came in this administration and this leadership team here at City Hall has been fully engaged in the process since 2023.”
Former U.S. Marine and A & J Mug Shop owner Dan Lindemann first became involved in the park 13 years ago when he helped establish the Marine Aviation Memorial Tower.
Since then, he has consistently advocated for a public bathroom. He says the lack of facilities leads to the veteran’s park being underutilized.
“I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. I’m very proud of it,” Lindemann said. “Some of the most moving events I’ve ever been to were at the park. It means so much to so many. If we start to ignore it, all those memories will just fade. I just don’t understand why this has been put on a back burner.”
Hansen said the foundation is willing to help fund a bathroom facility—one that ideally includes room for an education facility and storage—with money from the sale of their bathroom trailer.
“Right now, we’re willing to take whatever the city gives us.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Veterans flush with ’embarrassment’ over no bathrooms at Memorial Park
Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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