Lions, whiners, and Bears: a bathroom feud drags on

The Big Bear Valley Historical Society rests in the same neck of the woods as the Big Bear Lion's Club. But the former lacks what the latter possesses: a permanent bathroom. While the museum does have a porta-potty, the 5,500 people who visit the museum each year want better. The society's curator, Tim Sweet, has offered to take responsibility for usage of the Lion's Club facilities (which have outdoor access) -- he'll pay for someone to clean the toilet and even to install an iron door so the Lion's Club is protected. But the Lion's Club still says no. [1]

This isn't the first time these two societies have clashed over stall rights. The museum reportedly first asked for use of the Lion's Club toilet in June, 2005. The Lion's Club has stated numerous times that the alarm system they installed prevents their bathroom from being entered from the outside door without tripping the alarm. Mel Niez, Lion's Club president, says that the outer door is connected to the alarm and requires a key and knowledge of the code; Gloria Mead, president of the Historical Society, says the outer door isn't wired at all.

Are there Poop Nazis holed up in the woods of San Bernadino? You might think so at first -- but Mrs. Niez suggests there's more to this than meets the eye. She says that her husband, a plumber, offered to build a bathroom for the museum for free two-and-a-half years before, if the museum paid for materials. The museum, she says, turned him down. Why?

"We were told the ladies at the museum didn't want to clean bathrooms," Niez says. Maybe they should give Jennifer Aniston a call [2].

Whether we have a case of stingy lions or lazy bears remains to be seen. The Parks Commission has ordered Kathy Campbell, the Park District Director, to settle the dispute soon. One would think that in a park named after bears, there would be no disagreement over the topic of shitting in the woods.