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Big Island Nature Park Management Plan November 2011 ____________________________________________________________________________ 29 South Toilet Building (2). (Demolished 2008) The building was renovated as necessary to make it functional in 2006. In summer 2008 the facility was vandalized and sanitary fixtures were destroyed. The Big Island Committee in August 2008 concluded that due to the City‘s lack of ability to ensure the security of the facility, the toilet building should be demolished as it had no further function and would become an attractive nuisance. The septic system is still intact should a future decision be made to build a new facility. Northwest Picnic Shelter/Toilet Building (3). (Demolished 2011) Intended to remain in use, this structure was renovated in 2006 to make it functional. However, vandalism to the toilet facilities during the winter of 2007-8 convinced the City to consider actions to ‗armor‘ the building by replacing existing wood frame walls with concrete block walls and secure lockable doors. Building materials were delivered in March 2008 before ice-out, with actual renovation expected later that year. Continuing vandalism in 2008 destroyed virtually all fixtures within the building before actual construction was begun. The Committee reviewed the alternatives and concluded that even if the sanitary facilities were reconstructed in a bunker-like fashion, vandalism was likely to continue. In August 2008 the construction was called off, after the conclusion was reached that efforts to continue to provide sanitary facilities would be futile. The building subsequently remained unlocked and minimally functional for public picnic use, with no sanitary facilities in place. In January 2011 additional vandalism destroyed the remaining sanitary fixtures in the building. The inability to secure this building made it an attractive nuisance, and upon recommendation of the Committee, the City Council in February 2011 ordered it razed. Entrance Office (4). This 16‘ x 16‘ building with its 300 s.f. attached deck is the only structure remaining on the property. Moved to its current location in 1997-98, it is currently in disrepair with windows broken and door non-functional. To be usable for its intended purpose as an entry point to the Park will require substantial renovation. Block Storage Buildings (6 and 7). (Demolished 2011) The Big Island Committee in November 2011 noted that these two buildings were in complete disrepair, could not be economically renovated to provide for secure storage, and had no intrinsic historic value, and recommended that they be demolished. North Hill Cabin (12). (Demolished 2011) This was initially intended to serve as an example of the type of cabins used by the veterans when they operated the camp. In reviewing the status of all buildings on the site after the 2011 shelter fire, the Committee concluded that this cabin was in a condition such that it could not reasonably be secured from future vandalism and was likely to become a liability if allowed to remain in place. The Committee subsequently recommended its removal. The 2011 fire that destroyed the south picnic shelter was perhaps ―the straw that broke the camel‘s back‖ in the City‘s attempts to maintain buildings and infrastructure on the Park property. The history of vandalism to the Park property had time and again been discussed by the Committee over the prior three years, and had gradually resulted in a consensus that maintaining structural facilities at the Park was no longer a reasonable expectation. The costs of repairing, replacing and providing security for the structural elements of the park were seen as outweighing their value to the public. Removing the structures would be consistent with the City‘s vision of Big Island Nature Park as a passive natural recreation area. The Committee recommendation in February 2011 to remove all remaining structures save for the entrance office was not reached lightly, and was tempered by the fact that significant efforts had been