Community Jul 24, 2017
by Mary Beth Hartill
Bracebridge Examiner
Mayor Graydon Smith gets a hand from some beach visiting friends cutting the ribbon on the newly renovated washrooms at Kirby’s Beach Park on July 21.
The Town of Bracebridge, Rotary Club of Bracebridge and members of the town’s accessibility advisory committee invited folks to the beach Friday afternoon, July 21, for a celebratory ribbon cutting and barbecue.
According to a July 19 news release, renovations include upgrading men’s and women’s washrooms with new plumbing fixtures, hardware, lighting, partitions, doors and entrance door privacy screens. A separate universal washroom, compliant under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is new to the facility. The new accessible washroom features a larger space for manoeuvring in a wheelchair, signage, automatic door opener, emergency alarm, grab bars, accessible plumbing fixtures and hardware, and a baby change table.
Exterior improvements ensure the pathway from the parking lot to the accessible washroom compliant with the act.
Along with facility upgrades, a municipal potable water service is installed from the Kirby’s Beach water treatment plant to the building.
“This potable water service replaced the existing lake water source that supplied water of poor esthetic quality (colour and odour),” states the release.
The improvements are part of an ongoing project at the park to provide accessibility features and updated infrastructure.