Enid Axe added two new handicapped- accessible, gendered bathrooms, to make a total of six spaces patrons can use in the downtown building.
Enid Regional Development Alliance allocated funds to give as small business renovation grants. The grant is set up as a reimbursement for work done to the business up to $5,000. The grant is slated to start at $2,500 but can be extended to those doing bathroom renovations.
“The full $5,000 grant will go to the bathrooms that we are working on,” said Lafe Coldwater, owner of Enid Axe. “One of the biggest problems with these buildings downtown is that it is very costly to get things up to code.
“It’s not just the bathrooms that have to be up to code, but the ventilation as well. The biggest cost was all of the ventilation that got put in,” Coldwater said.
Enid Axe, 104 N. Independence, already had one single bathroom that is in good working order, but was 1½ inches too small to make it ADA compliant, Coldwater said.
The bathrooms, soon to be completed, were built from scratch, adding in new drywall, flooring, wall tiles, vanities, sinks, toilets, stalls, hand rails, ventilation, plumbing and electric.
Coldwater said the changes were costly but worth it, especially since he was able to hire all local businesses to complete the work.
“We had great sponsorship from several businesses, who either donated materials or traded advertising with us,” Coldwater said.
Article & Photo by: Kat Jeanne, Enid News & Eagle