Berlin restroom renovations show a dedication to quality

While building a restroom in the center of town may not seem that significant of an objective for a village, for the Berlin Main Street Merchants it was a very important undertaking because of the incredible tourism the town experiences throughout each year.

One of the most common questions around town had been, “Where is there a nice public restroom we can use?”

That question is no longer relevant after the merchants put forth a team-oriented effort to raise funds to rebuild a clean, quality restroom facility in the heart of the village, and that effort has been a saving grace and a useful part of Berlin’s effort to create the best possible place for people to visit.

The effort behind the Berlin Merchants Main Street bathroom project was driven by community support from all angles, and Gary Yoder, Berlin Main Street Merchants president, said any time an entire community gets behind a project the way the local merchants did in this case, the outcome is going to be positive.

“Our community takes a lot of pride in doing things the right way, and it was nice to see everyone work together for the greater good with the project,” Yoder said. “We received overwhelming support from the area merchants and it all came together simply by reaching out to discuss the situation with everyone. They recognized a need and stepped in beautifully.”

Yoder said the former restrooms were there for some time, but were in dire need of upgrade. He said it didn’t portray the image that Berlin wants to promote to both tourists and locals, and remodeling became a priority.

Yoder added that having the full support of the Berlin Township trustees also became critical to the advancement of the effort.

Earlier this year, Kent Miller of Comfort Suites, who had been spearheading the discussion among the community members about the project, announced that it was indeed a ‘go’ and the public restrooms would receive an enormous and important upgrade.

The project was fully funded thanks to the generous response from local merchants who recognized the need at hand and quickly jumped in to make sure it became a reality.

The project took place in March once supplies and materials were in place and Miller said the merchants worked hard to be good stewards of the funds donated to the project.

“Our many visitors who come to Berlin and Holmes County will be the true recipients of this generosity,” Miller added.

Yoder said the restrooms are now open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is especially important with the Music on the Square taking place every weekend, where hundreds of people usually gather to take in a concert.

He added that the response from visitors has been particularly positive, and the restrooms have added a much-needed blessing to the Berlin community.

“The purpose of the merchants’ organization is to always come together to share ideas on how we can improve our community here in Berlin,” Yoder said. “We always keep the avenues of conversation open, and this restroom project is a great example of what can happen when we listen and have conversations.

“This was a true community effort that came about because people care about making sure everyone has a great experience when they visit Berlin.”

The restrooms are located next to Helping Hands Quilt Shop, across from Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant.