LUBBOCK, Texas – It’s out with the old and in with the new for a few City of Lubbock park bathrooms, many of which dated back two decades.

“Our park restrooms needed a facelift,” said Kalee Robinson, park development superintendent with the City of Lubbock. 

The City of Lubbock’s Parks and Recreation department said it was clear that many of the city’s park restrooms were past their prime. 

“We were well aware that many of them had been there for a very long time, and to be completely honest with you, pretty much needed to go,” Robinson said.

In May of 2022, the Lubbock City Council approved $900,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to upgrade all 12 of the city’s park bathrooms. The project granted renovations to seven and full replacements to five restrooms. 

“I’m really excited for the community to see the efforts that we’ve put into making the parks a better experience for them to go to,” Robinson said.

Brand new restrooms at Aztlan, Higinbotham and Mackenzie (North) parks have made their long awaited debuts.

“There was a large crane that helped us to take the 30,000 pound building off of a truck and put it right into the spot where it belongs,” Robinson said. “They’re concrete-style restrooms, so they’re not open-air. They’re gonna keep cool and they’re gonna keep warm during those colder months.”

The rebuilds at Clapp and Maxey parks are delayed.

“Unfortunately, both of those restrooms were in flood zones, and they’re still in flood zones,” Robinson said. “There’s a lot more kinds of permitting and compliance issues that we have to deal with there. Hopefully, by the summer time next year, we’ll be further in that process and be able to have those on the ground.”

Most of the renovated restrooms are expected to be ready for use next week.

“We’re still waiting on doors and things like that in a couple of them, so there’ll be two that aren’t open just yet,” Robinson said. “The good news is three of those that we’re renovating, we’re actually putting heaters in those chase walls there, so those will be able to be open year-round.”

Robinson said park staff cleans the restrooms multiple times a week and does routine checks.

“We’re excited about these new bathrooms, but we also hope that the public can help us to keep them nice and new so we can use them for many more years,” Robinson said. 

Robinson said all restrooms will automatically lock outside of normal park hours in hopes of cutting down on vandalism and any other after-hours activities.

For more information, visit the City of Lubbock’s website.