The Saga of the South Valley Restroom and Concession Stand

The Saga of the South Valley Restroom and Concession Stand has reached the tipping point.

Begun as a project to build a restroom for use by the Montgomery Village Sports Association (MVSA), then expanded to a restroom and concession stand, then further expanded to include the addition of a Lawn Theatre restroom, and then there was the unanticipated added cost of utilities, the out of pocket costs to Village residents has skyrocketed from $125,000 to $433,561.

1. Originally estimated to cost $250,000, the state of Maryland 50% Bond Bill stipend of $125,000 left an out of pocket cost to Village residents of $125,000.

2. We now know that the revised estimated cost is $558,561, composed of $462,328 for utilities and construction, $46,233 for a 10% contingency to cover an expected cost overrun, $50,000 in sunk design costs and staff work, less the state of Maryland 22.4% Bond Bill stipend of $125,000, leaving an out of pocket cost to Village residents of $433,561.

Unwanted and unnecessary before, the South Valley Restroom and Concession Stand project and its out of pocket cost to Village residents has increased by 346.8%. Clearly unaffordable, the project is out of reach and should be scrapped.

I urge the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board to end this political charade whose only beneficiaries have been its sponsors, Senator Nancy King and the members of the Maryland Delegation in Annapolis, who have shown no interest so far in increasing the state of Maryland Bond Bill stipend and are content to leaving the cost growth to be borne as out of pocket costs to Village residents.