Bathrooms, hand-washing now available in Frog Level
One unfortunate but not unexpected consequence of the Coronavirus Pandemic in Waynesville is that the homeless — who have nowhere to shelter in place — also have no place to wash their hands or defecate, posing a danger to themselves and to the population at large.
“I really think we need to do something down there,” said Alderman Jon Feichter during a meeting April 14. “I have been through there several times and the homeless are still there.”
Feichter made his comments in the context of asking for the town to pursue a rental agreement for public toilets and hand-washing stations; he noted that although there were such facilities at Waynesville’s First United Methodist Church, there weren’t any available in Frog Level.
Town Manager Rob Hites told aldermen during the meeting that he’d spoken with vendors, and that one offered two toilets that would be serviced twice a week for $210, and another offered two toilets and a hand-washing station for $170.
Aldermen opted for the lowest bidder and decided to position the units on the only town-owned piece of land in Frog Level — the parking lot, which has good visibility and good lighting that will deter vandalism.
Look for more on this story in the next issue of The Smoky Mountain News, available online or on stands on Wednesday, April 22.
