After a fire damaged a public restroom at Saratoga’s Wildwood Park this summer, the City Council voted to spend about $140,000 in repairs.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department first responded to a call of a bathroom fire in the early hours of Aug. 3 and determined the fire originated in the men’s restroom, said Santa Clara County Fire Department Public Information Officer Matt Mokhtarian. Department. There was evidence of forced entry into the toilet, and fire officials estimated the fire would cost about $1 million to clean up and repair.
Mokhtarian said the incident is still under investigation.
The city of Saratoga was already working on a park restroom renovation project, including one at Wildwood Park, funded by federal money the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act, the 2021 pandemic stimulus package.
The City Council unanimously voted at its Oct. 2 meeting to amend the contract with the construction company already working on the project to include fire damage repair as part of its scope of responsibility. The cost of these repairs is estimated at $138,876, city officials said.
“Combining the work with the original contract will improve efficiency by allowing a single contractor to coordinate all work together,” city staff said in the report. “Additionally, this combined project will allow us to reopen our restrooms sooner.”
