Holiday Beach upgraded
ERCA unveils eco-washroom
The Essex Region Conservation Authority unveiled its newest facility Thursday, an eco-washroom that is a model of conservation, sustainability and accessibility.
The solar-powered, fully accessible washroom at Holiday Beach Conservation Area includes heated outdoor showers, change rooms and a common gathering area with a modern, contemporary design.
“Holiday beach is used by thousands of visitors each year, especially during the fall migration … when people travel here from around the world,” Windsor city councillor and ERCA chairman Ed Sleiman said before a ribboncutting ceremony.
“This new washroom facility improves customer service and visitors’ experience.”
The authority, in partnership with the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory, spent $375,000 on the facility, salvaging part of the former washroom that was more than 50 years old. The Ontario Trillium Foundation provided $110,000 toward the project.
ERCA general manager Richard Wyma said the conservation authority reassessed its infrastructure a couple years ago and saw that many facilities weren’t keeping up with the needs of the public.
“So this washroom that we’re opening today is more than a washroom … it is part of the rebirth and the reinvestment into our conservation areas,” Wyma said of the building that is a first for ERCA.
Kevin Money, director of conservation services, led a tour of the new building pointing out the dual, rooftop solar panels — one type generates electricity and the other heats the water used in the sinks and the showers with the help of a solar thermal hot water tank.
There’s also a “green” portion of the roof that hosts native vegetation and grasses.
“That’s what we call a lowimpact development feature so that when it rains that water will be absorbed by those plants instead of just running away,” Money said. “It will also provide habitat … I fully expect to see birds nesting on top of our building next year.”
Motion sensor, high-efficiency lighting inside the building saves power while plenty of windows and sun tubes provide natural light. There’s no need for exhaust fans because grills under the eaves provide natural venting. The toilets are low-volume flush models and the urinals are waterless.
“It was very important to us as a conservation organization to reduce our energy and to reduce the water that we actually use in this building but also to make it very family friendly,” Money said.