Station designed for ‘comfort’
MONONGAHELA – A new building is taking the shape of an old railroad station beside a rail line in Monongahela.
The $235,000 building, however, won’t be used for boarding rail passengers as it is designed as a “comfort station” for people who visit the city’s Monongahela River-side stage.
“We’re calling it a comfort station,” said Monongahela Councilwoman Claudia Williams, who chairs the city’s parks and recreation department.
In all, the Noble J. Dick Aquatorium is undergoing nearly $2 million in restoration and expansion work, and it is being used for concerts again this summer for the first time in decades.
The aquatorium group also just booked professional boxing bouts July 26, one of which features Sam Vasquez, a 27-year-old welterweight fighter from Monessen.
The new building, measuring 72 feet long and 20 feet wide, includes spaces for a concession stand and the first public restrooms in this downtown in years.
They will routinely be monitored by a parks and recreation employee and under outdoor video surveillance.
The city is not initially planning on locking the restrooms.
“It just depends on how well they are taking care of them,” Williams said.
She said she hopes the public will respect the park now that money is being invested to make improvements there.
“I think Monongahela has so much charm and potential,” she said.