The City of Vernon is trying to decide what to do with three public washrooms in the community after they were vandalized 52 times throughout 2020.
According to the City, the 52 separate events resulted in $42,085 worth of damage. During these incidents, City staff have had to remove graffiti, blood, glass, needles and more from the bathrooms.
Crews have also had to unclog toilets, replace soap dispensors and stop residents from having sex. These incidents have closed the washrooms from anywhere between one and 16 hours.
Annual estimated expenses for the public washrooms are $90,594, which does not include the cost of the vandalism. This does include an executed cleaning contract for $51,738, which provides five cleans between 8 am and 8 pm in intervals of two and two and half hours, seven days a week, as well as a $37,056 security contract.
These washrooms have run 24 hours, though a letter to City Council has recommended these hours be adjusted from 8 am to 10 pm from May to November and 8 am to 6 pm in December to April. Most incidents occur following the last security check at 10 pm.
For those who don't know, the total cost to install the three washrooms was $380,000.
