Wintertime visitors to Freeland Park now have the use of a portable toilet that accommodates the disabled.

The facility replaces a standard portable toilet next to the park’s permanent restrooms, which are closed during the winter when the water is shut off to prevent freezing, said Steve Marx, Island County parks director.

The new facility is larger than the standard model and permits access to park visitors in wheelchairs, Marx said.

He said the regular restrooms will reopen in the spring, when the danger of frozen pipes is past.

“Freezing and vandalism are the two big problems,” Marx said.

He said vandals caused about $1,000 damage to the facility this past June, when they clogged the septic system, forcing the water to overflow, then defaced the walls.

“It took two days to clean and repair it,” Marx said.