Tourism Board seeks relief where tourists seek relief in Occoquan

Discover Prince William is looking at how it can save money on one of its most expensive, annual costs — cleaning the bathroom at the Occoquan Visitor Center.

The small shop is stocked with brochueres about what to see and do when in Prince Willian County. The center is credited by town business owners as bringing tourists into the tiny riverfront village. There’s a sign on nearby Interstate 95 that advertises the center.

Last year, many  Occoquan business owners said visitor center is also known as the only public toilet in Occoquan. It costs $12,000 a year to clean the restroom, said Discover Prince William Director Ann Marie Maher.

Discover Prince William’s Board of Directors is looking at how to lower that cost. Last year, the Board moved to close the center in a move to save $45,000 a year. Business owners balked, and so did elected officials, and the center remains open today.

The center staffed by a mix of staff and volunteers, and staff members are not keen on cleaning toilets. So, Discover Prince William set up a committee to see how they could cut bathroom cleaning costs. Asking staff volunteers to take an extra 30 minutes of their day to clean the bathrooms was an option.

“It wasn’t necessarily something the task force was like yeah let’s do that. Ultimately at the end of the day, it’s the Board and the staff that executes what we do,” said Maher. “The board member brought it up at the board meeting and said ‘you know this is just crazy, and I own business,’ We have a lot of business owners on the board now who own businesses and say $12,000 a year to clean a bathroom is expensive.”

The new Rivermill Park being built at the end of Mill Street in Occoquan may provide some relief for bathroom goers and taxpayers.

“My recommendation, and the path that we were going on … was that we would work with the town because they will have new bathrooms that are going to be opening with that new park. So I met with Mayor [Elizzbeth] Quist, and Kirstyn Jovanovich, the town manager. And said you know why don’t we try to go in on this contract together? It’ll be cheaper,” said Maher.

The park is slated to open this year.

Occoquan District Supervisor Ruth Anderson ordered a performance financial audit of Discover Prince William during last week’s Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting,

“I just want to make sure we’re getting a good return on our investment,” Anderson told Potomac Local.

Maher’s taskforce is soon expected to have a recommendation on how to proceed with clearing the bathroom in Occoquan.