Work to install the long-awaited Baldwin St toilet in North Rd late last year pushed the price of the facility $77,300 over budget.
Dunedin City Council recreation planning and facilities general manager Jendi Paterson said yesterday the "Portland loo" had required kerbing and channelling work that pushed it over the budget of $100,000 to $177,300.
The toilet was developed in United States city Portland but built in Dunedin, There was considerable road work around the site during its installation in November last year.
The budget was raised this week during an infrastructure services and networks committee meeting.
Ms Paterson said yesterday the toilet itself cost $98,000.
The council was looking at different types of toilets for Dunedin, and would be going through a procurement process to find preferred suppliers.
There were some around the country that were "pretty cost-effective".
The Portland loo was lauded when it was proposed as being easy to maintain with no tiles or electronic doors and few moving parts. They were favoured by police overseas, as "nefarious" activities were less easy to undertake than in fully enclosed toilets.
Ms Paterson said she would not rule out using them again, but it would depend on the environment and the infrastructure available.
"It was absolutely perfect for Baldwin St and the services that were there."
The council was not looking at new sites for toilets. Any that were needed were mostly to replace older ones.
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Comments
I'm sure I saw the curbing laid on the quarry side of the street, prior to Christmas, dug up and re-done when the work on the (well foreseen) crossing was completed in the new year. I'd be interested to know if this work contributed to the blowout - or was covered by the contractor? The works themselves seemed (to a layperson) to take an inordinate amount of time for the scale of the job.
Lack of planning and a knee jerk reaction to a delayed decision caused the budget blowout. Someone picked the "Portland" design and just ran with it without due selection process. Now council says there are some "pretty cost effective designs out there".
So what are council saying? Is this the only public toilet built in Dunedin for 5 years? The need for this and other toilets had been known for years. DCC just hadn't made a decision to install it.
Just another example of planning failure that cost ratepayers far more then it need have done. But it is ok, it is council money, not the ratepayers.
I have noticed the toilet being well used but not the island. People walk from the toilet down the street and straight over the road to Baldwin Street totally bypassing the island.