A Costa Mesa church will finally break ground next week on a long-overdue project to create more restrooms, after the price tag for the renovation skyrocketed during the pandemic and fundraising efforts stalled.
Saint Joachim Catholic Church, which was built in 1965, has a capacity for about 750 people, but only one bathroom each for men and women.
According to Parish Director Ree Taylor, other restrooms are available in the church’s parish hall, but such can be inconvenient for the disabled or for families with children.
Back in 2019, church officials received an estimate of $600,000 to construct a new 62-foot by 20-foot building specifically for the restrooms and started fundraising, asking parishioners to donate to the cause. Any extra could go toward upgrading the church’s heating and air conditioning system and for the installation of solar lights….