When it comes to the Sanitary District’s above-ground well vault replacement/restroom project in the park, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. Bob Shelstrom is no exception.

First, he keeps saying the project costs $3 million. Wrong. It’s $2.7 million. Maybe $300,000 doesn’t matter to him, but it does to the district.

Second, he says a scrape and paint job for $10,000 per well vault would have worked. Wrong. The corrosion of the existing metal underground vaults comes from their outside contact with the soil that gets wet from nightly park watering.

Third, he says that the above-ground structures are a waste of money. Wrong. They will make our employees much safer and allow cost-effective maintenance, both of which certainly are valid district purposes.

Fourth, the cost for each restroom is approximately $250,000; a small price to pay to make the above-ground structures acceptable and useful to the public.

Fifth, maybe he is concerned about the additional cost of adding a cold water drinking fountain at each of the restrooms. I suspect that people who walk regularly around the park would say he is wrong, again.

Finally, we added at the request of Town staff, ground-level doggie water dishes at each restroom, so he can water his dog as he walks in the park.

In short, as a director of the Sanitary District I am proud to have supported and pushed for four years to add the above-ground structures for employee safety and with restrooms to make the above-ground structures acceptable to the public, and then to add drinking fountains and doggie watering dishes.

Mr. Shelstrom, I am sure your dog will thank us, even if you don’t.