The town of Hope has up to $100,000 in work to do on its town hall public restrooms, to bring them up to modern standards and to make them accessible for those with disabilities.

The Town Council heard a report from Susan Thayer-Fye, the head of Main Street of HOpe, on renovations needed at the restrooms earlier this week. The facilities on the back side of the Town Hall, are the only public restrooms off of the Hope Town Square.

Thayer-Fye said she and the Town Utilities Manager David Clouse went through the two restrooms and found multiple obstacles to bring them up to modern codes. Improvements needed would include heating and cooling so they could be used year-round, repair of sinking floors and replacement of all of the current facilities. There is also not enough room for a wheelchair user to navigate the spaces. The lack of space is further complicated as the property line is close to the wall of the town hall, limiting expansion space.

Thayer-Fye said the six figure estimate was a rough approximation of the cost, with about $30,000 in repairs to each restroom. Door opening mechanisms would cost about $5,000 each, she estimated, plus about $23,000 in engineering, architectural, permitting and other fees. Her estimate came to $93,000, she said but other costs could bring it up to almost $100,000.

The town’s grant advisor, Trena Carter, said she was skeptical that there would be grant funding available to pay for such a project. The Town Council has no immediate plan on how to address the issues.