Economic stimulus funds, community consultation improve visitor services

Project fact sheet

The BLM has upgraded comfort stations in the Silver City area of southwestern Idaho with funding allocated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The BLM Boise District worked with Silver City property owners and county officials to determine whether to replace or rebuild the restroom facilities, which serve visitors and recreationists touring the historic mining district in the Owyhee Mountains.

Two existing toilets – one at the Silver City campground and another across from the schoolhouse and church in town – were rebuilt to improve ventilation while still blending with the visual character of the surrounding National Historic District. A third comfort station, located at Ruby Junction on the road into Silver City, will be replaced next summer with a current model concrete vault toilet. At that time, a second facility in the rustic style will be built at the campground.

“Silver City has become more and more popular with tourists and recreationists in recent years,” said BLM Owyhee Field Manager Buddy Green, “and upgrading the comfort stations there has become a maintenance priority for us. We’re very happy for the opportunity to get the work done using economic stimulus funds and in a manner that suits the unique circumstances in the area.” 

The fact that Silver City is a National Historic District affects the sorts of building materials that can be used and the kinds of improvements that can be made to structures.

The BLM project manager met with the Silver City Property Owners Association and the Owyhee County Historic Preservation Commission to lay out various options for replacing or refurbishing the comfort stations. The groups settled on replacing the vault toilet at Ruby Junction, rebuilding the ventilation systems and replacing the roofing on the campground and in-town facilities, and adding a second comfort station at the campground.

In addition to better odor control and improved appearance, the replacement unit at Ruby Junction and the new station at the campground will be fully accessible under guidelines in the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

“What looks at first to be an easy maintenance project acquires some unique variations in a setting like Silver City,” Green noted. “But we welcomed the occasion to consult with local property owners and officials to see how we could meet our resource management goals, ensure everyone’s comfort, health and safety, and protect the natural and cultural resources that draw visitors and residents alike to the site. It was a question of being good neighbors as part of multiple use management.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. Of that amount, $305 million in funding goes to the BLM nationally.

> MORE Recovery Act projects in the Boise District
> The Recovery Act on Public Lands in Idaho