By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – One of Alabaster’s biggest attractions soon will have new, permanent restroom facilities modeled after offerings at Oak Mountain State Park after the Alabaster City Council approved funds for the project during a Jan. 11 meeting.

The council voted unanimously during the meeting to approve up to $43,500 to fund the purchase and installation of the permanent restroom facilities.

The money will come out of the city’s 2016 capital project budget, and will be constructed in-house. The project’s cost wasn’t high enough to require bidding out.

Alabaster City Manager George Henry said construction will begin immediately on the new restrooms, and said they likely will be completed by the time warmer weather arrives in March.

Once completed, the new facilities will be near the park’s back parking lot, which is near the Beneful Dream Dog Park and the recently added disc golf course.

Veterans Park currently has permanent restroom facilities near the baseball fields and playground areas in the front of the park, but uses portable restrooms in the back of the park.

Since the dog park and disc golf course were added, attendance at the park has seen a significant increase, according to city leaders. The addition of the permanent restrooms will help to serve the increased number of people visiting the park each year, Henry said.

Plans call for the restrooms to mirror the facilities recently installed at Oak Mountain State Park’s archery range, which are built on slabs, are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and feature solar panels to power lights and fans.

Henry said the city decided to use the same facilities installed at OMSP after discussing the project with Shelby County officials.