An 18-year-old Beaconite who grew up in a relative’s house in Beacon near Green Street Park recently moved with her family to Newburgh, as they could only afford to buy a home in Newburgh. The teen and other family members continue to work in Beacon, so she is on this side of the bridge daily. The 18-year-old Beaconite couldn’t remember when, if ever, the Green Street Park bathroom was open when she lived nearby.

Said a longtime Beacon resident, Danielle Soto-Eckert: “The bathroom at Memorial Park has been closed literally my whole life. I’m 30 years old and can think of less than 5 times that it’s been open while I was there as a child, and now an adult with kids. I take my kids to Bowdoin Park (in Wappingers Falls) because their bathroom is always open.”

The Beacon park bathroom issue is not new. People who use the public parks, including teenagers, caregivers and parents, have lived with them for the most part closed, with some people having access to a key maintained by the Recreation Department for a birthday party or volunteer clean-up day.

The Bathroom At Memorial Park Is So Pretty - But It’s Been Closed? It’s Just A Mural Space?

The grassroots organization Wee Play Community Project has been maintaining the public tot parks, mainly Memorial Park, in a volunteer capacity for a number of years. Wee Play is instrumental in fundraising for, purchasing, and designing the play structures at the parks like Memorial Park. In fact, they are working right now on their biggest fundraising event of the year - the Ree Play Sale - an affordable way to buy used kids clothing and gear.

In August 2019 while Raquel Verdesi, Margaux Lange and others were on the Wee Play Board, Wee Play commissioned artist Joe Pimentel to paint the closed bathroom at Memorial Park. Everyone got in on it, as Wee Play sought out volunteers for a community contribution experience.

Then Mayor Randy Casale painted as well, and was a Special Guest at the Celebration unveiling event. But his administration, which included then City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero, cited vandalism as the reason why the bathrooms couldn’t be re-opened. Beacon’s current Mayor Kyriacou was a City Councilmember then, as were several current Councilpeople George Mansfield, Amber Grant, Terry Nelson and Jodi McCredo.

While the mural project was happening, Wee Play Board Member Raquel Verdesi told A Little Beacon Blog that they got several inquires about using the bathroom: “Wee Play gets a lot of, ‘hope this means they'll open the bathrooms!’ whenever we are working on a new project at the park. Wee Play would like them open, too! We encourage folks to write letters to their representatives on the City Council if they want open bathroom hours.”

The Key To The Bathrooms - The Literal Key

Because Wee Play maintains the Memorial Park tot park, they were given a key to the bathroom by Recreation Director Mark Price. Wee Play could open the bathroom during the commissioned mural project so that the artist could use running water, for example, said Board member and artist Margaux Lange. During regular, volunteer-based cleanups of the park, the bathrooms might be opened then for all to use, while the volunteers are there.

Says Wee Play Board Member Raquel about bathroom key procedure: “The Beacon Recreation Department has opened the bathrooms for tournaments, park events, and parties. The City cites the expense of having them cleaned and repaired due to repeated vandalism as to why they are closed, except by appointment. They would have to hire someone to monitor them. It would make sense for the City to hire more help to be able to maintain the bathrooms.”

Over at Green Street Park, some people who have booked birthday parties have spoken of a key they get so that their guests could use the bathroom. Said Pheobe Zinman, who writes a column for A Little Beacon Blog, had experience organizing use for the key for more people to use. Pheobe told A Little Beacon Blog: “In 2017, I did a fundraiser for trees in Green Street. Beacon’s Recreation Director Mark Price helped me plant them. One is still there, the other was damaged by careless mowing and then vandalized.”

She continued: “Then I threw a big party to celebrate with music and potluck and a lot of neighbors came out. At that time, I scrubbed both bathrooms, which were filthy despite not ever being unlocked unless someone got a permit/key for a birthday party or gathering. We made a big list of things everyone would love to see in the park. I passed it on to City Council. There were supposed to be murals painted on the bathrooms, but that never happened. Mark said anyone could get a bathroom key as long as they signed up and made sure it got locked up etc... I tried to publicize it, but I don’t know if anyone signed up. I used to have a key, and then someone in the Recreation Department couldn’t find theirs, so I gave mine back. Everyone is still peeing outside behind the bathrooms, which is pretty unfortunate.”

In 2017, then Highway Superintendent Reuben Simmons proposed a plan to have the Green Street bathroom regularly cleaned by Beacon staff. Nothing happened with that proposal. Reuben was later stripped of his job title and salary due to a Civil Service technicality in Job Titles, and is currently a Maintenance Worker, who is on paid leave since the end of January 2021, as he fights to keep his job with the City of Beacon after receiving repeated complaints made about him by his supervisor, Michael Manzi, who replaced Reuben as Highway Superintendent of Streets.

Who Cleans The Bathroom, Anyway?

Beacon’s current and new City Administrator, Chris White, explained during a City Council Meeting on 4/26/2021 that he approached City staff to clean the bathrooms for overtime, but only 1 person said they were interested. The Highway and Parks Department work the City’s public parks to maintain the grounds and facilities. “We tried to figure out a system to use our own staff to clean them, but our hours were weird. We had staff who did not want the overtime. Only 1 staff [showed interest] and that is not sufficient.”

It is unknown at this time who the 1 interested staff person was, who was denied the overtime opportunity. Reuben Simmons, a longtime employee of the Highway Department who started working for the City of Beacon’s Parks department in 2002 as Summer Help, says he remembers cleaning the bathrooms: “In the past, I cleaned park bathrooms as Summer Help when assigned by then Park Foreman Dave Eraca.”

Reuben later served City of Beacon staff as the CSEA Union President for staff. He had this response to A Little Beacon Blog’s inquiry regarding job assignments: “I didn’t know employees had options to choose what work they would like to do and what they don’t want to do. What does CSEA (Union) say about all this? As a Union Leader, I was never a fan of contracting out work. Contractors tend to not take pride in public service. They seek financial benefit from public dollars. I'd look at the numbers and consider the option to pay our everyday hard working employees overtime before paying an outsider. You might just find it to be cheaper.” Paula Becker is the current CSEA Union President for Beacon, and works in the City of Beacon’s Finance Department.

Since the City Administrator Chris White said that Beacon’s staff wasn’t interested, he has hired Millers Touch Cleaning Service, “a minority-owned business” out of Newburgh, he described them, who he said cleans his own condominium during the 4/26/2021 City Council Meeting. Chris confirmed: “The contract is for $14,500 for 6 months. Maintenance of the facilities will be through Beacon’s own staff.” Chris said that he hopes cleaning can start the first week of May. “Then we’ll implement it as soon as Latreece Miller [of Miller’s Touch] can get his crews here.”

When Councilperson Dan Aymar-Blair asked when the bathrooms would be open, City Administrator Chris responded: “7am or 8am ‘till 5pm or 6pm. They will start at one of the parks and then shift over. Will be clearing some of the garbage from pavilion areas as well.” Additional collection of trash and recycling was an issue raised at City Council meetings in previous years as well.

It is not clear at this time what days of the week the bathrooms will be open on, and what the cleaning schedule is.

The Revised 2021 Budget submitted by Mayor Kyriacou states: “There will be $14,000 for trash and recycling collection from parks on Saturdays and Sundays. Park bathrooms will be open, maintained and cleaned regularly from March to November thanks to $25,000 in new funding.”

City Administrator Chris says there will be a delay at opening Green Street Park’s bathroom because “we are still working on fixtures,” he told the Council.

“Remind Me Where We Are At With A Bathroom At Loopers Park / South Avenue Park?”

After the Memorial Park and Green Street Park bathroom discussion, City Council Member Air Nonken Rhodes followed up with a question about the bathrooms (or lack thereof) in their ward, at the Loopers basketball court, tennis court, and kids park at Loopers/South Avenue Park. “Remind me where we are at with having a bathroom at South Ave. Park?” Councilperson Air asked City Administrator Chris. He responded: “I don’t think we have public restrooms. Just portajohns.”

John Galloway Jr., current Beacon City School District Board of Education Member and frequent basketball player at Loopers, confirmed to A Little Beacon Blog that there have not been accessible bathrooms at Loopers/South Avenue Park: “For as long as I have lived here (all 24 years), there has never been an accessible bathroom for the kids at the Loopers basketball courts at South Avenue Park. We always had to pick a tree or use the one in Sal’s Pizza. He always lets us use it even if we aren’t a customer because he indeed also knows that there isn’t a bathroom provided for the community that uses the basketball court.”

Councilperson Air persisted: “Was cleaning the portajohns part of that schedule? Just an update on where we are at with that process.” City Administrator Chris confirmed that he would check and get back with an answer. Councilperson Air responded: “I don’t want South to get left out.” City Administrator Chris reminded Councilperson Air that a new retaining wall was getting put in for Loopers. Councilperson Air responded: “Bathrooms too.”

City Administrator Chris responded: “I wish we had more bathrooms in place. Starting from scratch is diffilcult. Portajons I know we can have clearned more frequently. I know they are not the best choice.” Mayor Kyriacou responded by suggesting that City Council looks at the “fancy ones” used by Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. “The Shakespeare Festival has some really cool ones,” the Mayor stated. “Maybe we'll take a look.”

The porta potty at Loopers arrived last week, as reported by City Administrator Chris during this week’s 5/3/2021 City Council meeting. “We did put a portajohn at South Avenue Park and it is being cleaned 2x/week. We did get that installed.”

The video of the new porta potty at Loopers Park / South Avenue Park is below.

Why Now? Why Are The Bathrooms Opening Now?

Beacon4Black Lives Summer and Fall Protest Budget Demanded Investment In Community Services

After decades of not being regularly opened and cleaned, with known complaints and longing by constituents, why open the bathrooms now? During a COVID-19 semi-shutdown?

In the summer of 2020, Beacon4Black Lives consistently organized protest marches down Main Street, followed by educational sessions at Memorial Park. On October 19, 2020, when the 2021 budget was being presented to the public to be discussed and transparent, Beacon4Black Lives organized a protest of Beacon’s 2021 budget, as it earmarked an increase for Police Department, and a decrease for the Recreation Department. This protest was demonstrated on Wolcott Avenue, outside of Mayor Kyriacou’s house.

In response to the protest, Mayor Lee Kyriacou, then-City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero, and the city’s Finance Director Susan Tucker defended the budget by saying that there was planned increase to the Police budget. Collective bargaining with the Police Union (PBA) conducted earlier had guaranteed raises for the Police Department.

Reversely, the Recreation Director, Mark Price, had on purpose cut the Recreation budget in order to stay slim during the pandemic. The cuts came from the After School Program, which was not operating due to the shutdown, and he did not feel it necessary to financially plan for an opening in 2021. However, when he hired back his staff for an opening in 2021, he did so with a raise to those After School Program employees, he told A Little Beacon Blog at the time of he budget protest.

Public Comment In Defense Of Funding Community Services

Public Comments about Police funding and cuts to the Recreation Department was not lost on the City Council or Mayor Kyriacou. During the 2020 budget protest, one of the organizers with Beacon4Black Lives, Justice McCray, emphasized the importance of investing in the community. Justice called in on the Public Comment line to the City Council meeting from the protest on the street, and stated:

This increase to the Police Budget has been a slap in the face to all of us, to this entire community. (Justice called back to other attendees: "Can you guys shout for me?” They respond: “BLACK LIVES MATTER!”) We are asking you to invest in the community. The last thing that we need is for you to spend more money in policing. We need you to put the $24,000 that you took out of the Recreation Department and put it back into the Recreation Department. We need you to fund community safety programs that focus on community’s actual safety, rather than having the police department outside of your house right now having police circling around your community as if they are going to attack? We want to feel safe in this community, and we don't feel that right now. (Another person shouted over the phone: "You are being protected against us right now!") This entire summer, all we have been asking is for our Black lives to matter. That means investing in community safety options, that don’t shoot us, that don’t kill Black people. We are asking you to invest in community wi-fi, community housing, community food, community fridges. Invest in your community, not in the police.”

Justice McCray has taken their protest to the ballot box by way of putting their name on the ballot. Justice is currently running for Beacon’s City Council.

Community member Tina Bernstein, who does serve as Secretary on Beacon’s Commission on Human Rights, but was calling in as a citizen, was the next caller during Public Comment to contribute a reaction to Beacon’s 2021 budget presentation. Tina stated:

I want to express very significant concerns about the proposed budget for the City of Beacon. A city's budget should be determined with serious consideration of the needs of the entire community. It should prioritize much-needed services, and should be based on a vision for maintaining equity and quality of life for all of its residents.

It should be responsive to concerns that have been expressed for several months now, by Beacon4Black Lives as was just expressed, Mutual Aid Beacon, as well as a variety of community members. The current budget includes an increase for police funding, while it calls for a net shortfall in recreational programming.

Our mayor has, in defending the budget, cited the rationale that we pay less for police services than other municipalities in the Mid-Hudson region. In addition to the fact that it ignores the express sentiment that no more money should be spent on policing, this is the same rationale that has been stated before in response to concerns for the need for more affordable housing options.

It is irrelevant what other municipalities are doing. Beacon's budget should reflect what matters to the residents in the community, and the services we need… We no longer have a community center…. We haven't invested in an expansion of programs, pavilions, or open spaces that protect youth from the elements... There is no money in this budget to support such efforts.

At this point, Mayor Lee Kyriacou cut Tina off, as callers have a 3-minute maximum. Mayor Kyriacou stated: "Her time’s up, come on."

Future Spending

The protest and the number of residents calling in their reactions in defense of the Recreation budget during subsequent City Council Meetings outlining details of the budget in different departments was enough to push the Council and Mayor to allocate funding to the opening of existing bathroom facilities.

In his Revised Budget published in the City of Beacon’s website, Mayor Kyriacou said, “This year’s budget involved greater scrutiny and community participation than any in past memory. I’d like to thank all those involved – city staff, the council and many residents who came and voiced their views. I believe this budget properly uses city reserves to keep any tax increase to a minimum, while funding needed one-time programs for these difficult times, as well as continued improvements in quality of life community programs.”

Other financial allocations included, as stated on the City’s website:

• “$25,000 for emergency supplemental grants” from the CARES ACT managed by Dutchess County “to strengthen Beacon’s food distribution programs and provide groceries to hundreds of families.“

• “Another $70,000 were earmarked for alternative policing – which can be used for community mental health services.”

• “The Council dedicated $30,000 for a study of municipal broadband.”

• “The Recreation Department will issue income-based fee waivers for programs thanks to a budget dedication of $20,000.” While this is unclear at this time in how it is intended to be used, residents may want to ask for payment plans or financial assistance on childcare programs like Camp @ The Camp or the After School Program.

Meanwhile, the City of Beacon is considering a years long renovation project of the dilapidated Tioronda Bridge for over one million dollars, which may double if the Council agrees to renovations required to keep the bridge on the National Registry. In 2017, the City of Beacon was granted $500,000 towards the project from the New York State Department of Transportation.

The City of Beacon has entertained plans for various bathroom renovations at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park and the Settlement Camp, but those fall by the wayside and have not been put to bid for construction estimates.

One of the Beacon residents who spoke during various Public Comments during budget season was James Case-Leal, a former Board of Education Board Member, who was commenting as a resident. A Little Beacon Blog followed up with him to confirm that he asked specifically for the opening of public bathrooms. His response in part is below:

I was definitely one of the voices calling for opening the bathrooms as part of Beacon's reinvestment in community services and reimagining public safety. That was part of a set of demands put together by a collective of community organizers that I'm involved with working on the city budget. This issue was something I had heard numerous times from parents as something that would make their park time feel more accessible.

There are so few places to safely be in public, so it's really great that the city is finally providing sanitary bathrooms for parents and children. It's a small step, but a little bit of proof of how good we'd have if the city spent even just half of the $5.5million dollar Police budget on services we actually need.

We could expand the summer camp so parents aren't scrambling online the second slots become available. We could have an indoor All Sport style rec center where kids and seniors cool off during the summer. We could give residents priority for reserving University Settlement for parties. We could keep our bathrooms clean all year round. I really hope this trend continues.

More Bathrooms

The bathroom issue is big in Beacon, as there are several public bathrooms that are used on different days, at different time. In Memorial Park, there are 2 more bathrooms: one at the baseball field and one at the football field. At Sargent, there is one at the soccer field that is opened during some soccer game weekends and possibly maintained by the soccer league.

The bathroom at the Visitors Center on Wolcott and Main Street is maintained by a volunteer with the Chamber of Commerce.

The bathroom at the Settlement Camp pool is maintained by the pool staff, and as a structure, is more like an out-house. Plans have been designed to improve it, but they were shelved, as they were connected to a larger renovation.

There is a row of porta potties at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront park. That park also has a renovation planned, which includes bid-ready drawings. It is earmarked in the Capital Plan, but has not been sent out to bid, as the Recreation Department is waiting for the right time to get the best price.