Restrooms at Portia Mills Hines Park locked for repairs

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – The restrooms at Portia Mills Hines Park near downtown Wilmington will remain closed for several weeks due to extensive vandalism.

Photos recently shared on social media showed the facilities in disrepair. When WWAY visited the park on Wednesday, both restrooms were locked with signs reading “under repair.”

The City of Wilmington has now confirmed the damage and shared more details about the repairs.

In a statement, the City of Wilmington said the restrooms were “heavily vandalized” sometime between the morning of April 6 and mid-day April 7. “Damage was extensive and will take several weeks to repair,” the statement reads.

The city said the women’s restroom was less damaged and will reopen first as a temporary unisex facility while the men’s restroom is fully repaired. “All fixtures in the men’s restroom were completely destroyed,” the city said.

All toilets, urinals, and sinks will be replaced with stainless steel to better withstand future vandalism, replacing the original porcelain fixtures.

In the statement, the City of Wilmington called the incident “especially disheartening at such a heavily utilized park.” City staff and community members have worked together for years on park improvements and ongoing maintenance.

“Park vandalism is not only a burden on city workers but also costly to taxpayers,” the city added. “This kind of senseless destruction hurts the families, friends, and neighbors who use the park the most.”

Portia Mills Hines Park has been the focus of community-led improvement efforts. The Voyage Youth Leadership Council spent over a year advocating for upgrades, which led to City Council approving funding in 2019 for new restrooms and improved lighting.

While no exact reopening date has been set, city officials say they are working quickly to complete the repairs.