The bathrooms at Herrick Park are about to get a much-needed overhaul.
Charles Sferrazza of Botta Sferrazza Architects in East Hampton showed plans for a redesign to the village board at its Jan. 21 meeting. The current footprint of the bathrooms will not change, but there will be many cosmetic improvements.
The sides will be reshingled with “Alaskan cedar shingles,” the architect said, which will match the shingling on the village windmills. “They turn a very nice silver-gray, without turning black.” The roof will be replaced as well.
“It really looks beautiful,” said Rose Brown, a board member. “I think the natural shingles will be beautiful.”
“I agree,” said Mayor Jerry Larsen. “These stay silver. That’ll be nice.”
The window glass, which is often damaged by errant balls, will be replaced with “impact-rated glass.” “There will be no maintenance required of them,” Mr. Sferrazza promised.
“I like to see the window in the roof,” said Ms. Brown. “I think it’s a nice element, so I’m glad you were able to find something that would be more durable.”
The outside sconces, which are also susceptible to breakage, will be replaced by recessed lighting, which will provide “a warmer glow on the building,” Mr. Sferrazza said.
Inside, heavy-duty sand-colored porcelain tile will be used for the floor, and white subway tile for the walls.
“I like the smaller subway tile better than the big one,” said Sandra Melendez, a member of the board.
Importantly, in this era of Covid, the sinks and soap dispensers will all be touchless.
“How about the toilets?” asked Mayor Larsen.
“They’re all automatic-flush,” said Mr. Sferrazza. “They’re all porcelain.”
“So that’s good, they’re going to be porcelain, I like that,” Mr. Larsen said.
“Urinals are the same thing,” said Mr. Sferrazza.
“Great,” said Mr. Larsen. “Nice job.”
Mr. Sferrazza said that “we’re going to maintain those beautiful skylights to let as much light into the bathroom as possible . . . I’ll get this set to go out to bid. We’re looking for a start date of March 1.”
“Correct. March 1, ending May 1,” said Marcos Baladron, the village administrator.
Businesses’ Basements
Also at the meeting, the board held a hearing on a change in the village code, which would amend a prohibition on the use of basements by local businesses.
Currently, businesses cannot use their basements for anything other than storage; meaning, Mayor Larsen said, that if a business owner needed an office, it would have to be on the main floor, and could take up valuable square footage.
“I think it’s a very good idea to do this,” said Arthur (Tiger) Graham, a board member. “It allows people to use space they otherwise couldn’t use.” He had a concern, however, about basement egress.
Mr. Larsen noted that businesses “have to meet the state fire codes for this to apply. If they can meet state codes,” then the new law could help them. “We’re trying to get out of the way,” he said.
At the end of the meeting, the proposed amendment was unanimously adopted.
