Toilet vandalism ‘tragic, sad’

Toilet vandalism ‘tragic, sad’

The theft of key gear and vandalism at the Chrystalls Bend toilets has closed the facility while Kāpiti Coast District Council ponders a near-$50,000 repair bill.

During the night about March 15, padlocks were cut at gates leading to the area about a kilometre east of the Ōtaki River bridge. Burglars then smashed the door handle of the pump room in the middle of the block of three public toilets.

They then broke through a second door and smashed a cage containing vital gear to service the toilets. Solar-powered batteries, a water pump and and water cylinder were taken.

The toilets, behind separate doors, were untouched.

Ōtaki-based district councillor Rob Kofoed, who supported the project to build the toilets, says the theft was “a professional job”.

“What they got would probably service a house,” he says. “It was a surgical extraction. They knew what they were doing.”

Rob says he’s not just upset that the council has to foot the bill to fix the damage and re-install the gear, but also that it undid the work that provided the facility in the first place.

The toilets were installed last year after three years of planning driven by the Friends of the Ōtaki River. As the facility is on a well-used walking trail and near the stunning Chrystalls Lagoon, Tourism NZ stumped up most of the funding for installation, assisted by the district council.

Chair of the Friends Max Lutz was “gutted” when he heard about the vandalism and theft.

“It’s tragic,” he says. “There was a lot of effort put into providing these toilets and it’s sad that people can’t use them at the moment.”

For the half-hour or so Ōtaki Today was there on a Thursday morning, several people walking their dogs or cycling stopped, expecting to be able to use the toilets.

“They’re certainly well used,” Max says. “In the six months of operation, based on the number of flushes, we know it was used 9000 times.

“That shows how popular it is.”

Max says it’s not just a facility for people passing by. Waka ama and canoe polo teams and supporters practising or with events at the nearby Winstone Lakes also use them.

Along the expressway, lights illuminating the gateway to Ōtaki scultures have also been stolen – twice – meaning long periods when they are not lit at night and tens of thousands of dollars for NZTA to repair and re-install.

Kāpiti Coast District Council says vandalism is costing ratepayers dearly and putting the continued operation of public facilities at risk.

Property and facilities maintenance manager Kelvin Irvine says money to fix damage caused by theft and vandalism is limited and responding to the current level of damage throughout the district can’t be sustained long-term. If the vandalism continues, some facilities might have to close.

 “At some point we’ll have to make the call to either scale back repairs or close facilities,” Kelvin says. “We can’t keep this up.”

He says vandalism has escalated in the last year.

“We are running out of money to fix smashed toilet bowls and basins, remove graffiti and clean up disgusting messes.”

In the past month, there has been a total of $80,000 worth of damage to toilets in Ōtaki, including $49,000 for that at Chrystalls Bend.

Toilets at Campbell Park in Paekākāriki have also been repeatedly targeted by vandals, who have smashed bowls and basins, graffitied, and tipped broken glass and sand down the toilets and drainage system.

Call the police if you see suspicious behaviour around public facilities. To report damage, call the council on 0800 486 486, make an online service request at kapiticoast.govt.nz, or use the Antenno app on your phone.