LIVE OAK — Expanding the potential users and including a reduced fee provision, the Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency approved an amended policy for use of its portable restroom trailer at Tuesday’s meeting.

Discussed at the previous two meetings, the CRA board wanted to increase the usage of the trailer, such as Christmas on the Square coming up at the beginning of December. According to CRA Project Specialist Gabrielle Redfern at Tuesday’s meeting, the trailer has been utilized just four times in the past two years with the Candy Carnival coming up next month.

That desire led to CRA and city staff to amend the existing agreement that had limited its use to government entities, non-profit organizations and other community organizations.

The amended policy will also allow for private events within the CRA district to be able to utilize the trailer.

The bulk of the discussion leading into Tuesday’s meeting and again during the meeting involved the usage fees on the trailer. The original agreement called for a $350 use fee as well as a $170 cleaning fee in addition to a $350 disposal fee if the trailer’s holding tank was used.

The new policy rolled the cleaning fee into the usage fee for a flat amount of $600. The disposal fee would still apply.

Board members Mark Stewart and Bruce Tillman, though, felt like that new price didn’t alleviate the problem with Tillman pointing out the price actually increased.

“My whole goal behind this review is to have visibility and get the trailer out there more often,” Stewart said. “I don’t really see with this new fee structure, I still don’t see a whole lot of encouragement for us to get it out there.”

Tillman later added: “At the $600 level, it’s just cost prohibitive. You can rent a lot of port-a-johns for $600.”

The policy also includes a provision in which non-profit organizations and government agencies can apply for a waiver of a 50 percent reduction of the use fee, or $300. That waiver would be voted on in a public hearing in front of the board.

“Those are the substantial changes in the use policy in the hopes of encouraging use by more groups in the future,” Redfern said in recommending the board adopt the amended changes.

Still, Stewart didn’t think it really helps.

“I don’t see how we’ve helped ourselves,” he said.

Stewart said with just four — soon to be five — uses in two years, the CRA isn’t getting enough use out of the trailer. He said the board might as well sell the trailer if it’s never going to utilize the trailer.

“I don’t see it being utilized for what it was bought for,” he said. “It’s almost cost prohibitive to have it just sit there.”

Board chairman David Burch disagreed.

“It is still fulfilling a purpose,” he said. “It’s not like we’re not utilizing it at all.

“But if we can make the process better we need to look at it.”

Board members Cindy Robinson and Bennie Thomas added that if more events happen downtown, or elsewhere in the CRA district, there’d be more potential uses for the trailer as well.

City Manager Ron Williams added that when the board originally purchased the trailer there were Friday night events downtown as well as JAB Fest.

“We don’t want to get rid of it,” Thomas added.

The board approved the amended policy by a 5-2 vote with Stewart and Tillman against.

Facade grant approved

The board also approved a facade grant for improvements at 941 and 943 Ohio Ave. N in the Crews Insurance building.

According to Redfern, the improvements were necessary for the business as it transitioned to a hair salon for additional parking.

The approved facade grant was for $10,312.50.

Community policing

Police Chief Buddy Williams talked to the board about the Live Oak Police Department’s community policing initiatives leading into the Candy Carnival event for Halloween.

In addition to that event, Williams said the department’s Police and Community Together (PACT) program includes Shop with a Cop, Citizens Police Academy and Teen Police Academy as well as Project Life Saver among numerous others.

“We’re one of the leaders in community policing in this state,” Williams said. “We need to get back to what’s important and that’s developing a relationship between law enforcement and this community.

“Nationwide, we’re taking a beating. The CRA is a prime example of what we can do to try and build togetherness and form a bond back in our little old city.”