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Vandals have wrecked the distinctive brass door handles on Matakana’s public toilets, causing them to be closed for more than two weeks, including the busy Easter weekend.
The loos were locked and door handles removed in late March, and they remained closed until repairs were carried out on Thursday, April 12.
There was frustration voiced at April’s Matakana Community Group meeting that no one knew why the toilets had been closed just before a public holiday, or when they might reopen. Concern was also expressed over the frequency of cleaning during busy periods.
Council’s head of operational management and maintenance, Agnes McCormack, said the toilets had to be closed because the vandalism had rendered the handles insecure, and portable toilets had been provided as an alternative.
“Due to the bespoke design of the toilets and their solid brass handles, replacement handles were not immediately available, which has led to the delay in reopening the toilets,” she said. “We are replacing the door handles with a more robust alternative.”
She added that maintenance work was not usually publically notified as standard, and apologised if there was any confusion as to why the toilets were closed.
“We are also aware of the community’s concerns about the frequency of cleaning of the toilets on busy weekends and will be looking to increase this,” she added.
