“It’s Absurd”: $456,210 Public Restroom Project Approved
No Funding (Yet) To Repaving Outlet Center Drive
SMITHFIELD – “It’s absurd,” Councilman Travis Scott said Feb. 18 as the Smithfield Town Board discussed and ultimately approved spending up to $456,210 for a 528 square foot freestanding public restroom.
In a 4-to-2 vote, the Town agreed to spend approximately $864 per square foot for the restroom facility on S. Front Street across from the Neuse River Amphitheater.
Originally the town had planned to construct the 8-stall (4 male, 4 female) restroom unit adjacent to the Amphitheater, but decided to relocate it across the street to a lot at 107 S. Front Street, the Town recently purchased. Officials said it will provide more space.
The Design-Build project will be paid for with a $300,000 state grant and $156,210 in left over Coronavirus American Rescue Plan Funds.
Councilman Scott said the council previously agreed not to approve another Design-Build project after the Design-Build expansion of the Smithfield Police Department was met with significant cost overruns.
While the entire project will be paid for with state and federal grant money, the cost of such an expensive bathroom unit weighed on members of the council. Scott stated the high-dollar restrooms would have heat but no air conditioning. “The price is outrageous.”
Officials said the public restroom could come in under budget, but the cost remains high.
Councilman Scott later asked for an update on when Outlet Center Drive could be repaved. Mayor Andy Moore said he was hopeful to have an update on the project very soon.
Councilman Travis Scott asked Town Manager Mike Scott to see if the street department could begin patching the numerous potholes on Outlet Center Drive. Councilman Scott said the street department already had the equipment needed to temporarily patch the busy roadway.
The cost to resurface Outlet Center Drive is currently estimated at $1 million.
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36 Comments
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The road at the outlet has been bad for years now. You have to dodge the holes and almost causes a wreck at times. The council hasn’t done a good job with it. I know the mayor said once he was hoping Selma would help with the cost. It needs fixing yesterday. Come on yall.
White and yellow lines are ridiculous also.
Component Dr. is also in need of lane markers.
Smithfield once wanted the county to repair Peedin .Now they want Selma to help absorb some cost.Selma doesn’t own anything past the RV Dealership.
Absolutely agree!
This is crazy. I’m a contractor and this should cost no more than $250,000 and this is a high end price
Elon needs to come visit Johnston county
Elon could come and father some more children out of wedlock.
Town of Smithfield needs an overhaul and better leadership. They only want money and business. They don’t care about the citizens or what we think.
Travis Scott is an excellent Councilman! He always votes for the citizens, not the people on the Council who have a high stake in all of the land being sold. Travis is not a realtor.
The town needs to flush the toilet and replace the entire town coucil and mayor.
No A/C for that price. Somebody needs to look into details. Follow the money.
This is everything wrong with the government. I could build this for a quarter of the cost. Absolute waste of taxpayer revenue.
DOGE needs to do a deep dive into the Towns of Smithfield and Four Oaks.
I’ve lived here my entire life and for the last 23 years I’ve had to travel Outlet Center Dr for work. What a mess it is and how embarrassing for travelers coming from 95 to the Outlets! If it’s not gonna be fixed then at least once a year give us tires and a front end alignment. Totally ridiculous!!
Your tax dollars at work
Who’s stupid idea is this? Who cares where the money came from! This will be the new homeless shelter. Who is running this town anyway?
Truly.
WHO IS THE LEADERSHIP that lets this happen. Aren’t there far better ways to help Smithfield? Like a graveled lot with a Porta-pots. Otherwise, it will be a homeless encampment
This idea is outlandish.
Homeless people navigate to the river and amphitheater. The restrooms need to be more centrally located nearer to downtown businesses. There are empty buildings that can be considered. JS
You can’t keep patching the holes with that asphalt in a bag because it doesn’t actually repair the road. Sections of Outlet Drive need cutting out and reinforced under the road or it will keep having issues. The bathroom will do nothing but bring opportunity for trouble unless it’s patrolled and locked.
Our county roads are full of this patch in a bag, leaving the road about as bad as it was before patching
OMG! That much for a bathhouse? With no Air?.. find a different architect or GC! Highway robbery..
What about booker dairy road? Since the council approved at 800 Home subdivision and they’re in their logging and tore the heck out of the road. It needs repaired now or at least when they’re done destroying it.
Whose idea was it to solicit the project as a design-build? Very risky.
The town bought that lot from a guy I know. After the purchase of the lot and then this building they will have almost 800,000 to have bathrooms for the amphitheater. 😂
Who is going to clean and sanitize the bathroom, Keep the homeless out. The town of Smithfield can’t even keep up with the bathroom at the park near SSS on Booker Dairy Road. This sound like a lot of crap to me!
Why is there a public restroom where there are so many homeless people (excuse me, I mean “unhoused”). I don’t know anywhere in Clayton, or any other town, that has a freestanding toilet…The streets come first. However, I think they take that money from the taxpayers. I won’t ever use it, but i’m sure plenty of crackheads will.
I’m pretty sure a public bathroom won’t have anything inappropriate going on. Also sure there won’t be any damage, graffiti, drug use, or any other illegal activity going on in it. I mean who would actually do that?
You can’t have anything nice like this in smithfield. Look what happened at the community park. You would have to keep it locked and only used during events. better off renting port a johns for next 30 years, (cheaper). Thugs will destroy this in no time, as well. Will also be a hang out for homeless.
Lazy people throw tax payers money away. It’s easy and they wipe their hands and say done.
sad to see Joco get dragged down over the years…Johnston County use to be so good that’s why everyone moved here and ruined it! this place unfortunately will never ever be the same. the snake has taken a bite and there is no cure for it…..
Sounds to me like no one voted, these issues can be resolved with common sense and let’s not forget it’s our civic duty to vote responsibly. Ya get what ya voted for. Those are public meetings and you can certainly attend. Fix it at the ballot box. Sideline stupidity.
Roger – the majority of people in JoCo will vote R no matter how horrible the person may be, no matter how badly they have handled previous situations. Seems like the same people keep getting voted in for various positions – people complain about something they did but come election time will vote for that person again instead of dare think to vote in another party. The tribalism is hard core in JoCo. Party over country or county or city or town –
We are not alone…..https://www.kwch.com/2024/11/09/wichita-city-council-approves-500k-2-public-restrooms-downtown/
Let’s think about this for a moment. What is the true purpose of the facility? If your basing it on the Ham and Yam festival it was a good idea. But the Ham and Yam has fizzled out. If for the Theater how many shows do they have. A total waste of tax payers money.
Well, so much for Smithfield adjusting the property tax rate to keep our taxes neutral. Hopefully the county will at least. It is getting expensive to live in town. Maybe with all the townhomes and shacks they are building they can keep it down. IDK
If Market Street is so unsafe, how can we cross the street to get to it?