New restrooms and a playground are likely in Bancroft Park’s future as the Colorado Springs City Council considers sending $300,000 to the Old Colorado City anchor for improvements.

As an added bonus, those new restrooms would be open to the public, in contrast to the existing ones that are typically unlocked only for special events, said David Deitemeyer, Colorado Springs’ senior landscape architect.

Deitemeyer outlined the proposed improvements to the council Monday afternoon and the group enthusiastically agreed to place the supplemental appropriation on its consent agenda next month, signifying its likely unanimous approval.

Already the park’s bandshell has been repaired after a fire damaged it more than a year ago. Vagrants reportedly lit the blaze in January, 2017 while trying to keep warm.

The next step for the popular and centrally-located park off Colorado Avenue is to permanently close the restrooms in the band shell’s basement and install prefabricated restrooms on the park’s southernmost corner, Deitemeyer said. Those facilities will automatically lock for about eight minutes after a certain amount of uses to self-clean. That feature will save on maintenance costs and keep the restrooms in good condition, he said.

The self-cleaning feature can hopefully serve as a prototype for future park improvements, City Council President Richard Skorman said.

Plus the restrooms’ more prominent placement along Colorado Avenue will discourage mischievous behavior, which has been a problem in the past, said Councilman Merv Bennett.

If approved, the appropriation would also allow for the construction of a playground, Deitemeyer.

“So that families can come to concerts and special events… and have a nice place to play with their children,” Deitemeyer said.

The restrooms and playground could be installed as early as April 2019, Deitemeyer said. A third phase for the park, with additional funding, could mean new park benches, picnic tables and a further improved landscape, he said.

Councilman Tom Strand, who lives in Old Colorado City, praised Deitemeyer’s plan and said the improvements will bode well for the parks concerts, special events and farmers markets.

“This is a small area, but it’s critically important to the people that live in Old Colorado City,” Strand said.

conrad.swanson@gazettedev.gazette.com @conrad_swanson