While the lack of bathrooms on the entire Big Sur Coast is a huge problem, Park Management, who manages several of them, has locked them up, and is no longer providing access, creating a huge health issue as well as a disgusting experience.
Xasauan Today https://xasauantoday.com/ covered this issue just a few days ago. Today, Gail D and Lisa G sent me these three photos of conditions at Mill Creek, one of 3 public bathrooms on the South Coast outside of the campgrounds. The fourth photo is of Willow Creek, and looks to be the same location in Xasauan Today’s shot. Sand Dollar Beach has had its gates closed and locked, so I cannot get in to check the bathrooms there.
Gail D has contacted Jeff Benson, recreation officer of the Monterey District, but not received a reply. Anni Agren has contacted Tim Short, District Ranger of the Monterey District, but he is out of town until next week. I have sent these photo on to Tim Short as well as to Merv George, who is the Acting Supervisor of the Los Padres National Forest and have sent both these four photos.
Why were they locked up?
Mightn’t the commercial sector in the area, who does quite well from the tourist trade, set up organization and funding to address this ongoing issue, instead of relying wholly upon the underfunded state park system? A collaboration is in order.
The commercial sector already accommodates people needing a bathroom. The State Parks offer bathrooms. USFS concessionaire needs to step up.
This outfit won the bid (which is a whole other issue in itself) to manage the USFS owned day use areas. They are obligated to maintain these areas, our tax dollars are paying for them to. I would like to see their contract with USFS. Im sure they are breaching it by not providing these services.
In my opinion this is their retaliation to the kiosk getting burnt down because they are convinced it was a local. That is something this company is not, local.
Dan, these are managed by a concessionaire who gets 90% of the fees they collect for day use and campgrounds, which currently are completely full-all week.
bigsurkate
Last year I paid $50 for an annual pass for the areas “managed” by Parks Mis-management Service. I paid the fee with the thought that it would help fund keeping the bathrooms open at Sanddollar & Willow. Now they close them? WTF…
The visitor’s bureau should divert their advertising budget to tourist services: nature, behavior, legal, and fire prevention education, as well as bathrooms and portapotties Also, they should provide money and a contractor to clean up these sites.
Jiminy Cricket! ! and we are just about on July 4, Happy Birthday Amerika ! ” in an effort to serve you better ” no-one can be reached? how about the Monterey County Health Department? if this existed at any home it would be immediately Red-Tagged.
Time to ban single use plastic products, fines for businesses and individuals can be used for toilets, tourist travelling can pack it out if they pack it in.
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/20/602170604/malibu-moves-to-ban-single-use-plastic
http://www.plasticfreechallenge.org/what-is-single-use-plastic/
This is just a small part of a much larger problem since china stopped taking the worlds recycling most of it is now going to land fills.
https://earther.com/chinas-plastic-waste-ban-will-create-a-huge-issue-for-t-1826991472
Yes, someone file a complaint with the Monterey County Health Dept as well as call Supervisor Mary Adams’ office asap.