By Liz Hayes

Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 1:31 a.m.
Updated: Wednesday, February 20, 2013

New Kensington officials hope the missing link to replacing the Memorial Park bathrooms soon will be in place.

Council on Tuesday awarded a bid to J.F. Shea Construction Inc. of Mount Pleasant to install a $74,000 bridge on the park's entrance road.

Once erected, the new bridge will provide access for the heavy equipment needed to install a prefabricated building for the bathrooms.

The building will replace the bathrooms that were destroyed by arson in 2010.

Council already had awarded the bid for the $70,000 bathroom facility when members realized the bridge that provides the only access into Memorial Park was deteriorating.

An inspection revealed the 33-foot span, which was estimated at 70 years old, could not safely support a large crane needed to install the bathrooms.

Officials also are concerned about the bridge supporting large emergency vehicles.

Engineer Tony Males said the contract with J.F. Shea requires the bridge be installed within 90 days. Since the reinforced concrete structure will be prefabricated, Males said there will be no wait time for the concrete to cure.

Councilman Doug Aftanas, who oversees the city's parks, said he's hopeful the restrooms will be replaced as soon as the bridge is done.

“That's a big piece of the puzzle,” Aftanas said. “The park should be back to full operation by spring and summer.”

Liz Hayes is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-226-4680 or lhayes@tribweb.com.

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