The Waukegan Park District consists of 50 properties and 737 acres of land. The Park District, together with Romtec, has completed several building projects including the recent King Park project. At King Park, Romtec had the opportunity to supply multiple structures to the Waukegan Park District.
Eugene P. King was an African American Surgeon who moved to Waukegan in 1929 and was “known for his dedication to the city’s African-American youth” (Sanchez Olson, 2019). This Park, dedicated to Dr. Eugene King, serves the surrounding community, and provides a place for youth and families to enjoy the outdoors.
At King Park, the Romtec restroom building and the Romtec pavilion serve the softball field, picnic areas, and play equipment that guests enjoy. The restroom building is a single, unisex bathroom structure with an attached mechanical room off to the side. Access to the bathroom is located on the face of the building, under a truss roof extension that provides a covered breezeway over the public amenities of the structure, including two wall-mounted drinking fountains for guests to access safe and clean drinking water on days out at the park.
The restroom is composed of split face gray block with black powder-coated doors and gable vents. The truss extension on the face of the building is supported by wood pillars with aesthetically pleasing column footings that feature a stone veneer. The roof on the restroom is an Evergreen metal roofing with IKO Stormshield for protection against water and ice.
Inside the restroom is a white, high efficiency toilet, a sink with a push button faucet, and a tankless water heater. The tankless water heater is mounted below the sink, and gives guests warm water to wash their hands, a feature that is often overlooked but sure to be appreciated by park guests.
The pavilion has matching pillars and footings to the restroom, and a matching Evergreen metal roofing. With similar design features, these two very different structures are linked and add a uniform appearance to the park.
The successful installation of the King Park Restroom and Pavilion structures by Great Lake Landscape continues to improve Waukegan Parks and provides new improvements for the community to enjoy. This project is just one of many that Romtec has worked on with both the Waukegan Park District and the Hitchcock Design Group, including the Rose Park project, the Clearview Park project, and the upcoming Victory Park project.
King Park. (2021). Retrieved 29 May 2021, from https://www.waukeganparks.org/
Sanchez Olson, Y. (2019). Eugene P. King Park in Waukegan set for $800K upgrade. Retrieved 29 May 2021, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-waukegan-park-grant-st-0216-story.html