Islanders are sometimes accused of over-complicating seemingly trivial issues, such as, for example, whether to keep a washroom unlocked overnight.
At the same time, we could also be chastised for a lack of gratitude, since if this is the kind of question that dominates public discussion, all other problems must have been solved already and we are clearly living in a paradise.
But our Local Community Commission members, to their collective credit, have correctly identified this “simple” question related to Centennial Park use as emblematic of a much more nuanced one: in guiding its delegated services, who precisely is each one tasked to serve?
While late-night use in the park is appropriately sparse, the availability of a washroom overnight will have obvious benefits to islanders who need one after hours –– those caught by surprise after businesses close, those living rough (or afloat) without their own facilities, or those who are simply out late and looking for a washroom.
The potential downsides are just as clear. Parks staff seem to have finally broken the multi-year cycle of vandalism, repair, reopening and repeating in Centennial Park washrooms by closing the “main” washrooms at 3 p.m. and the universal one at 9:30 p.m. Keeping even that smaller washroom unlocked overnight will have costs associated with it, from tasking security checks to repairing what many see as inevitable further vandalism.
There are “simple” unanswered questions, such as whether the availability of facilities would attract more late-night activity in the park, or on its periphery –– more RVs parking downtown, for example. And there are complicated ones, like determining a dollar amount islanders are willing to shoulder in support of a night-owl population that, complicatedly, includes our most vulnerable alongside outright troublemakers.
If gratitude is due, we would direct it toward the thoughtfulness witnessed this week in consideration of the question –– to be grateful our community remains willing to grapple with the complex consequences of “simple” decisions.