UPDATE TUESDAY 1PM: City of Greater Bendigo building and property manager Andy Walker said the frequency of cleaning the Heathcote Public Toilets reflected the frequency of use.
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“There are 18,000 scheduled public toilet cleans each year across all our stand alone public toilet facilities, with some facilities being cleaned up to three times a day,” he said.
“As the Heathcote public toilets are some of our most used, they receive the highest level of cleaning and are currently being serviced three times a day.
“The city will continue to carry out ongoing maintenance works on the Heathcote public toilets this financial year to ensure they continue to remain fit for purpose.
“Approximately $40,000 has been spent on maintenance requests for the Heathcote toilets since 2010, with the latest building condition audit undertaken by the city rating the overall building, structure and fitout as 4/10, with 1/10 being considered excellent.
“Major refurbishments and/or replacement of public toilet facilities is considered annually in context with all 44 public toilet facilities throughout the city.
“Council, through its 2016/17 Budget process, has approved a public toilet strategy to be undertaken prior to the prioritisation of any future upgrades to existing public toilets or possible construction of new facilities.”
EARLIER: The head of the Heathcote Tourism Board has described the state of his town’s public toilets as “an embarrassment” amid confusion about when, or if, council plans to replace the facility.
Local business owner and tourism board president Peter Maine said most people he spoke to described the toilets as “awful”.
“Ultimately the toilets are no longer fit for purpose,” he said.
“They have not kept up with the increasing number of visitors and traffic to the town, especially with the increasing popularity of events such as Heathcote on Show and the annual Heathcote Food and Wine festival.”
Mr Maine said he and others pushing for a new or renovated public toilet block had been told council would make it a high priority in the recent budget.
But he said the commitment had “somehow evaporated” off budget documents approved by council at the end of June.
“You get told to go through the process, so you follow it and expect to get answers. But all of a sudden the commitment evaporates,” he said.
“Now it seems like no one at council, including councillors, are sure whether the fund are committed or whether they are out of the budget.”
He said the group did not have a preference for renovation or a more costly replacement, as long as the problem was quickly addressed.
Eppalock Ward election candidate Yvonne Wrigglesworth believed the push to rebuild or refurbish the town’s toilets had been overlooked.
She said the toilets were one of, if not the, most used in the municipality and the community had been asking for their redevelopment for almost a decade.
“Using a known and validated formula of toilet paper usage, it is calculated that more than 400,000 people use the Heathcote toilets each year, and the facilities are shameful,” she said.
“Shop owners are fed up. They have told me they are sick of tourists asking to use their toilets,” she said.
“And the Heathcote Visitor Information Centre’s feedback book is filled with complaints about the toilets and their condition; years and years of complaints.
“I don’t know what else the community can do. They have been proactive and have produced numerous reports and evidence to show this is tarnishing Heathcote’s reputation as a tourist Mecca.
“The community is desperate to build new toilets, but all they are getting from council is the ‘engaged’ sign.”
A spokesperson for the council was unavailable for comment.