Azalea Park to get public restrooms

SUMMERVILLE -- The town's premier park is about to get public restrooms. It was one of those, er, urgent campaign promises.

Azalea Park, in the heart of the historic district, is a signature attraction in the town, with its wedding gazebo, spring azalea bloom and annual Flowertown Festival.

But its only "facilities" are in the sometimes-locked Cuthbert Center.

During campaigning in May, Mayor Bill Collins and other candidates heard it from uncomfortable residents in two districts who lined up outside to vote in the crowded center.

At Collins' suggestion, Town Council this week told staff to come back with ideas and costs for adding outdoor-access restrooms to the basement floor of the center, or a second building owned by the town along the park's fringe.

With the center scheduled for renovations, temporary facilities might be put on site.