It will cost roughly €135,000 to provide a public toilet in Dungarvan, Waterford City and County Council have confirmed.
The news was publicised at the May meeting of the Dungarvan / Lismore Municipal District of the local authority by Council Director of Services, Mr. Kieran Kehoe.
Cllr. Thomas Phelan (Labour) sought an update on the matter.
A super loo on the Quay in Dungarvan was dismembered in 2012, with the Council claiming that for every flush of the toilet – that cost 50c to use, it cost the local authority €9.
75,000 people visited Dungarvan for the West Waterford Festival of Food last month, but toilet facilities were provided by the hospitality sector and retailers, as opposed to the local authority.
“The proposal includes for a dual cubicle unit, one being a disabled toilet and the other being a unisex facility. The supply and installation cost is €118,000 plus VAT”, said Mr. Kehoe. “That’s €135,000, which would be typical of a good quality provision. That’s what’s being supplied across the country, and to be honest, most others are supplying more cubicles but look, I have the details. It’s going to be €135,000.”
When asked by Cllr. Phelan whether that was reasonable or not, Mr. Kehoe offered this response.
“It’s a little bit beyond what we thought and that’s without the annual cleaning and maintenance costs”, he admitted. “That’s supply only. Maintenance is minimal on them. We’ve looked at a lot of locations but the prime is probably at the Active Travel spot on the Devonshire Bridge, where the other one used to be.”
A report will be circulated to members for their approval in the coming days.
