Bristol Parks and Recreation officials discussed two major upgrades coming to the properties it manages during the Bristol Select Board meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
According to Bristol Parks Director Shelley Gallagher, the first upgrade coming in 2026 is the installation of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park.
The restrooms in the park were installed before the Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides regulations on accessibility, went into effect, Gallagher said. Although some accommodations for accessibility were made, the restrooms are still not fully compliant.
“They were done before ADA was a thing, so they were retrofitted, but they’re not fully retrofitted,” Gallagher said.
The requirements public restrooms must meet to be considered ADA compliant include providing an accessible route to the restroom, doorways wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, sufficient maneuvering space, at least one wheelchair-accessible toilet stall with proper grab bars and toilet height, accessible sinks with knee clearance, and fixtures and accessories that can be operated without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.
Gallagher also brought up issues surrounding cleanliness and appearance with the current restrooms.
“At this point, they’re hard to clean because you clean them, and they just weren’t going to look clean,” Gallagher said. “Everything inside of (the new restrooms) is going to be tile … and essentially, everything inside can be hosed.”
Gallagher said once the new restrooms are installed, Bristol Parks and Recreation will start doing additional advertising for weddings at the lighthouse park.
“I don’t feel comfortable advertising weddings with our restroom situation, because we’re going to ask a bride in her wedding dress to go use those restrooms,” she said. “Once those get done, then we’ll start advertising around the city or the area for weddings and things like that.”
Bristol Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Clyde Pendleton said the restrooms will go out to bid at the end of January. He hopes they will be open and operational in May for the upcoming season.
The second upgrade will be the installation of a community playground at Pemaquid Beach Park in the fall.
Pendleton said the commissioners have reviewed designs from various companies to compare costs. A final decision of what equipment and company to go with has not yet been determined.
“The thing about playground equipment is it can be anywhere from $50,000 to $300,000 because playground equipment is expensive,” Pendleton said. “We are going to build it in phases so that we can put in what we can afford this fall, and then we can keep adding to it.”
Bristol Parks and Recreation is a self-funded organization, meaning its budget does not rely on taxpayer money and is instead funded through revenue from the parks, donations, and grants, according to Pendleton.
Bristol Parks and Recreation has also applied for a grant for the equipment but is waiting to hear back, said Pendleton.
If funding comes through, installation of the equipment is slated to start after the beach closes, according to Pendleton, and will be installed near the baseball field.
“It won’t be started until after the beach closes for the season after Labor Day,” Pendleton said. “We are shooting for September to start.”
According to Gallagher, $50,130 is currently set aside for the playground from the Pemaquid Beach Triathlon, which took place in August 2025 and served as a fundraiser for Bristol Parks and Recreation, as well as other donations.
“We’ve had a couple parents that are excited about a playground going in that want to work on fundraising,” Gallagher said.
The next select board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the town office. For more information, call 563-5270 or go to bristolmaine.org.
