The better part of a decade is a long time to wait to use the bathroom.

But relief is finally here.

The city announced today that the sweet swoosh of real, working toilets has returned to Waterfront Park.

“It’s open,” said city engineer Chris Hammer today. “You can go down right now and check it out.”

Not sure yet if there will be a ribbon-cutting, and I’ve heard no announcement about who had the honor of using the facility first.

The 300-square-foot, three-toilet, one-shower facility has undergone almost eight years of community debate after the previous Waterfront Park bathroom was torn down in 2001. City officials and citizen groups haggled for years over the facility’s placement, function and even its the decorations.

Earlier designs before the current prefab box was settled upon included sculpted roofs, rock climbing walls, waterfalls, viewing platforms and a gathering space fit for weddings.

One of the grander designs, coming in at $1 million, was considered too expensive. Pared-down versions were nixed over complaints that they didn’t fit the Bainbridge aesthetic.

The final version, the one now easing the burdens of Waterfront Park users, is expected to cost $325,000. The contractor had initially put in a bid that amounted to $281,000, but hey, what’s $44,000 when you’ve been waiting an equal number of days.

Some City Council members have joked in the past about having fireworks and champagne during grand opening. No official word on that yet.

In the meantime, load up the family, grab the camera and enjoy this long-awaited moment in island history.