When you gotta go, you may have to go somewhere else.
As part of it's proposed budget cuts, HRM staff are recommending the city no longer supply portable toilets for sports fields, beaches and parks that are not already equipped with bathroom facilities. Cutting the public service will save the city about $25,000.
While the loss of porta-potties may seem like a small thing, it could have a big impact on teams, says the head of Sport Nova Scotia.
"Anything that's going to be a hindrance or going to make fields less accessible or less easy to take part in activities on, is another barrier to participation," said Jamie Ferguson. "The easier it is for people to access the fields, and use the fields, and stay at the fields, the better off we are."
HRM spokeswoman Shaune MacKinlay said the porta-pottie cut is one of several recommendations to Halifax Regional Council, which is grappling with a $35.5-million shortfall. Last week, HRM tabled its $731-million operating budget, and $157-million capital budget.
MacKinlay said only time will tell if the service is reinstated.
"We are in a bit of a holding pattern with our porta-potties," MacKinlay said.
Up until this year, the city installed porta-potties on about 40 sports fields, 10 to 15 beaches, and at a few parks that do not have washroom facilities.
"We likely won't see all of them back out there this year, but we may see some, but that will depend on some of the decisions made during budget deliberations," MacKinlay said. "It's a public service and obviously there is some demand for it, but there's a long, long list of items that are under consideration in this draft budget," MacKinlay.
While it's still too soon to say which fields may or may not get them, those supplied to ball leagues playing on school property are not usually installed until after school is out for the summer, MacKinlay said.
Stephen Bornais belongs to a co-ed softball league that has played at the now porta-pottie-less Prince Arthur Junior High school fields for 20 years.
The loss of that service could be "messy", he said.
"We want to respect the (surrounding) homeowners but when people have to go, they have to go," he said. "We're on the fields for three hours every Sunday so this will definitely be a problem."
The Prince Arthur Junior High school field is used by numerous sports teams all summer long.
kmoar@hfxnews.ca
Porta-pottie cuts could be messy
When it's time for a bathroom break, teams, like this one playing at Prince Arthur Junior high school in Dartmouth, will have to leave the field to find a facility. HRM has cut the money it used to supply porta-potties at a number of fields, parks and bea
- Published on May 28th, 2010
- Published on July 5th, 2010
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Kim Moar
HRM staff are recommending the city no longer supply portable toilets for sports fields
When you gotta go, you may have to go somewhere else.
As part of it's proposed budget cuts, HRM staff are recommending the city no longer supply portable toilets for sports fields, beaches and parks that are not already equipped with bathroom facilities. Cutting the public service will save the city about $25,000.
While the loss of porta-potties may seem like a small thing, it could have a big impact on teams, says the head of Sport Nova Scotia.
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Comments
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- Khrista
- - July 5th, 2010 at 15:57:27
I am totally appauled at the HRM staff' recommendation to remove porta potties from ball fields and beaches. Honestly, I don't know what they are thinking. When you have a groups of kids playing all day in hot weather, drinking water and juice, having a washroom nearby is not a luxury it is a MUST. Are all the HRM staff male because it would appear that they forgot females are not built the same and we cannot just hide behind a bush. Not to mention the sanitation concerns. All to save $25,000. I don't even use the ball fields but I cannot imagine making children play ball for 3 hours without having facilities available for them to use. Then there is the question of tournaments that can run all day long. I have a great idea, why not ban the porta potties for the next concert on the commons. I bet that would save a lot of money too! I haven't even mentioned the beaches where HRM staff are employed as life guards. Where are they suppose to go? How about if we close the bathrooms at province house for 8 hours. Surely there is another way to come up with $25,000.
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- Kirsten
- - July 5th, 2010 at 15:57:26
Has HRM staff gone completely insane? I guess we'll have to litter out in the woods or just soil ourselves, or how about we go in the water at the beach? I mean, we already have 1 Halifax harbor, go ahead and make more then. This is absurd.
