BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM — The village of Potsdam plans to break ground on its new bathhouse in Ives Park this coming week.

Village Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke told village board members at their meeting Sept. 3 that village officials had met with contractor Everett Scanlon and that workers were intending to start work on the project this Monday, Sept. 9.

“They are going to break ground on our Ives Park bathhouse, finally, Monday,” Wilke said. “They’re hoping to be done in two months.”

“It’s going to be a nice design. We will have two stalls. It will be heated so that we can use it… we were thinking of not having it open through the entire freezing winter, but (with a heated bathhouse) we can open it with notice, like for Frosty Fest or special events being held,” the mayor said.

Wilke said in between special events the bathhouse could be winterized.

“We’re very excited. There’s a nice design,” she said.

The mayor asked the board and public to be patient as the construction progresses.

She said the village will be adding ADA compliant sidewalks to access the bathhouse to the park infrastructure as well.

The mayor said no trees will be removed to accommodate the new construction.

“And in fact, once it's done, we talked about it today, it will actually allow for a wheelchair user or somebody else who for some reason doesn’t want to walk through the grass later, it’ll almost make a little figure 8 in the middle of the park because it’’ be a little connector right across,” she said.

The backside of the bathhouse will feature a small hookup for sink water for additional portajohn facilities to be added during larger festivals if needed. There will also be a water bottle filling station and drinking fountain on the outside of the bathhouse.