On December 11, the City of Milford announced an award of $50,000 from T-Mobile that will be used to install public restrooms downtown. The city has been planning the installation of restrooms for several years as many surveys conducted by the city revealed residents would like to see them installed.
“We are honored to receive the T-Mobile Hometown Grant in support of our downtown bathroom project,” Economic Development and Community Engagement Director Lauren Swain said. “This funding will allow us to install new, fully accessible restrooms in downtown Milford, enhancing the visitor experience and creating a more welcoming space for everyone.”
Swain stated that the grant would help meet a long-standing community need, one that residents had requested for several years. On hand at the presentation were representatives of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford and Downtown Milford Inc., organizations that sponsor many events throughout downtown.
“This is going to be such a benefit at our festivals,” Downtown Milford Coordinator Sade Truiett said. “It will also encourage more visitors to our downtown. We are becoming a place for visitors heading to the beach areas to stop, take a walk, grab something to eat and shop in our stores. This new public restroom will be another reason to stop downtown.”
The restroom will be similar to one located in Tony Silicato Memorial Park near the Boys and Girls Club. Initially, the cost of the restrooms was $155,000 in 2023 and the decision was made to place them in Memorial Park across from the library. The building is prefabricated and made of carved concrete. When asked about cleaning the restrooms, Svaby explained that they were very low maintenance.
“We can go in there and hose everything down,” Svaby said, noting that this was similar to the Silicato Park restrooms.
In addition, the bathrooms will be locked at dusk unless there is a festival in town. Police will monitor the restrooms regularly to avoid criminal activity. There was discussion about a six-stall version, but council tabled that, asking staff to look at a larger unit to serve more people. Another bathroom is planned closer to Bicentennial Park in future years.
“T-Mobile is focused on investing and supporting communities just like this one,” Meisa Katoli of T-Mobile said. “The city is receiving $50,000 to install new accessible restrooms in the downtown area. Hometown grants are part of T-Mobile’s five-year commitment to help bridge a digital divide, expand connectivity and deliver essential wireless services to small towns and rural communities across the country.”
Katoli stated that Milford was the second city to receive the grant with the first being Smyrna for their Hometown Arts Program.
“Today, T-Mobile Hometown Grants have provided over $20 million spanning across 48 states and Puerto Rico,” Katoli said. “So, it’s a huge deal. Were looking for more. We want to give out more money. The program also created 179,000 volunteer hours and more than 2,000 jobs, which is awesome. More than just bringing wireless, T-Mobile wants to be part of the community and help small towns across the state thrive.”
There was no date released for when the new bathrooms would be installed.
Thank you, let’s get it built!