Permanent Bathroom Slated for Lincoln Boulevard

VILLAS – Lower Township Council awarded a $400,000 contract for new, permanent restroom facilities at the end of Lincoln Boulevard April 3.
The township has provided various restroom facilities at this popular beach entrance at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Shore Drive in North Cape May. It began putting port-a-potties at the location before replacing them with a portable bathroom trailer. 
The township received two sealed bids for the project March 29. The contract was awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, MJJ Construction LLC, of Atco, for $401,260.
The project cost includes the installation of a new 13 foot by 21 foot bathroom building, concrete sidewalk, curb, paving, utility installation, and restoration of any disturbed area.
Township Manager Mike Laffey said the bathroom facility would be built as large as they could for the space available. He said it will be a multi-stalled facility with a men’s side and a women’s side.
Speaking on the cost of the project, Laffey said government spends about a third more on any project, paying the prevailing wage, and everything is more expensive since Covid.
The bathroom facility will be constructed on pilings due to its location. Laffey said the township considered constructing the facility at another location and dropping it onsite, but it was going to be finished faster if it was constructed onsite.  
“We went with the concrete building because it’s just better on the beachfront,” Laffey said.
He noted that the bathroom project is part of several that began before he became township manager.
He added that the township is making moves to “tighten up” Douglas Park, which is a highly used area in the township. He said the township is in the process of replacing three pavilions there now.