The public washrooms at both River Mill Park and Club 55 are closed this weekend for repairs due to extensive damage by vandals. It’s not the first time either washroom has been targeted.
At times, the damage has been minimal: a soap dispenser ripped from the wall, a toilet stuffed with paper so that the floor is flooded, a light fixture broken. Sometimes someone purposely defecates on the floor. There’s an issue about once per week, noted Greg Pilling, the Town’s manager of facility operations, sales, and customer service
But every six to eight weeks, the damage is more extreme. This week, vandals wrenched toilets from the floor and made holes in the drywall, among other acts.
“It’s so sad and unnecessary,” said Pilling, adding that it’s disheartening for staff to have to repeatedly clean up and make repairs to the washrooms. “How would anyone gain any benefit from this?”
It also removes a needed service from downtown for the duration of repairs, he noted, and costs taxpayers money. With supply chains disrupted due to COVID, repairs have been taking longer than they might otherwise.
The total cost of damage to the washrooms to date hasn’t been fully calculated, but Pilling said a report will be presented to council in the coming months.
The Club 55 washrooms are part of the Civic Centre and are Town-owned.
The Town leases the washroom space near River Mill Park from Coldwell Banker Thompson Real Estate Brokerage. That lease expires this year.
In November 2021, staff were directed by Huntsville’s general committee to negotiate a new lease for the washrooms, as well as report back regarding the potential construction of permanent washroom facilities in River Mill Park.
The OPP are aware of the vandalism problem and are supportive, said Pilling. The Town doesn’t have the resources to staff the washrooms while they are open. The facilities are available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Most of the vandalism happens after about 4 p.m.
At the November 2021 general committee meeting where the washroom lease was discussed, Town CAO Denise Corry told councillors that, “[The OPP] has given us a process that we should follow with respect to ongoing and reoccurring vandalism… If it continues to be an issue, then the OPP will actually install a camera for us.”
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Brenda Begg says
How absolutely inconsiderate, selfish, and irresponsible! The washrooms are an essential service. This last September a visiting friend from Ottawa and I shopped downtown and she was most appreciative that the town washrooms were there. Had they not been, we would have returned home to use the facilities and probably not have returned downtown. BTW: we spent HUNDREDS $ at the downtown stores.
The Huntsville Mall need to open their public washrooms. The Mall is a wasteland. Public washrooms have been closed for over a year, no food court, and few stores. This is the only Mall that I know of that has closed their public washrooms. Why? I’ve been given several explanations. There’s no food court so they don’t have to have public washrooms. Bologna. They were told to close. Hmmm. Washrooms are not being kept up to standard; that’s believable. Closed public washrooms is just plain WRONG.
Betty J McDonald says
The town has had the vandalism more than a few times. Let’s install the security cameras now…. it seems predictable from previous known vandals behavior it will continue to be an issue.
Harolyn Hussain says
I agree with Betty McDonald. Now a days there should have been security cameras there in the first place like everywhere else !!!
Kay Miller says
It is really quite sad that vandalism being motivated by a lot of factors has to occur at all. In any case, it is a disturbed mind that has to resort to this kind of behaviour. Our world does not need those kinds of minds to keep wreaking havoc and disrespect. Please get help if you can’t help yourself .
Brian Tapley says
I had a relative in England, long ago. He was a Justice of the Peace…and unlike many he always felt that the punishment should “fit the crime”.
I remember once a very rich lady was placed in front of his court for littering by tossing garbage from the window of her Rolls Royce. (not kidding).
His punishment was for her to be taken out and watched by town staff as she herself cleaned up a mile of road, both sides, bagged it all and put it in the supervisors truck.
She thought she could just pay a fine and go on her way but he insisted on her doing the actual clean up, dirt, mud and all and although it was probably not terribly cost effective for the town, I think the point was made on the woman.
Maybe, if we can catch the vandals, they can be lead to Home Depot, open their wallet and buy the necessarily materials and then some retired contractor can watch them fix all the damage to the town’s satisfaction. Sort of like school, a fail in this job would entail a detention in jail so there would be a powerful incentive to fix things right. Maybe Mike Holmes could make a mini series out of it all.
Jane Stinson says
I agree with those who say let’s install security cameras now.
Larry Brown says
Brenda Begg have you seen the bathrooms in the mall. they are absolutely disgusting. They should be closed and the health department needs to start doing your job and going to these restrooms.
Brenda Begg says
Larry: you’re quite right. The women’s washroom was not in great shape. That’s not acceptable. But, you would think that the mall owner /manager? of the mall would be ‘directed’ to clean them, repair them, then reopen them to the public. And, heaven forbid, maintain them. It’s just plain wrong and not customer-friendly to not have public washrooms in a mall.