Jasper looks to add net-zero washrooms on Connaught Drive

Councillors approved, in principle, the design and site of the proposed washrooms slated for the 600 block of Connaught Drive during its regular meeting on Mar. 3. A lack of public washrooms has consistently been expressed in visitor information surveys received by the Municipality.

Located directly across the street from the Shell Station, a net-zero washroom complex would give Jasper a “credit of about 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions,” said Ken Quackenbush, director of Environmental Services.

According to Quackenbush, building a net-zero washroom facility would be “a real opportunity to showcase green technology and environmental design.” That said, the payback for this kind of facility is “somewhere between 20 and 30 years and the capital cost is somewhere in the order of $300,000,” said Quackenbush. 

Questions were raised by councillors as to whether or not the site where the facility would built is considered green space. Quackenbush does not believe that it is in fact green space and added Parks has not raised that as a concern either. 

In order to achieve net-zero status, the new washrooms would have to be equipped with about 25 photovoltaic panels similar to those found on the roof of the Activity Centre, said Quackenbush. Coun. Ralph Melnyk said the town should “strive” for net-zero when contract tendering takes place, but that it does not have to “absolutely” be net-zero. 

When asked by the Fitzhugh about vandalism concerns, Quackenbush said the facilities will be built “very robust so that they’ll be resistant to that kind of behaviour.” There will also be a “big drain in the centre,” he said, so “you can go in with a fire hose and clean up.”

The cost is budgeted at about $300,000, but now that approval has been given for tendering to take place, council and Quackenbush will see if that is a feasible number.