Homemade explosives render women's restrooms in Lawrence Park unusable

The women’s restroom in Lawrence Park is closed indefinitely after vandals blew up the toilets on the Fourth of July using homemade explosives, officials say.

The blasts destroyed two toilets and toilet paper, soap and paper towel dispensers while also damaging a sink and the walls, wrote Chad Fincher, head of the Kalispell Parks and Recreation Department, in an email.

While repairs are in the works, the rehabilitation project will take time. In addition to ordering and installing new toilets, workers must repaint portions of the walls before reopening the facility. Fincher said that the sink may be salvageable, but would require lots of effort to clean off discoloration from the blasts.

The bathroom will reopen when the work has been completed, Fincher said, though he could not yet provide a timeline for the restoration.

Officials remain without a final cost estimate for the damage, saying that parts are still being ordered for the work.

Because the building is not equipped with cameras, there is no surveillance footage of the vandalism.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.