Washrooms may be open 24-7 on trial basis

Two of the public washrooms in downtown Vernon may open 24 hours a day on a trial basis.

That’s what council will decide after getting a staff report on how much that would cost, co,[ared to the current closing time of 10 p.m. each night.

Councillor Scott Anderson said having the facilities open 24-7 would prevent problems with people leaving their waste in other areas.

“Just to revisit the genesis of this idea, it was a task force idea, and the entire thrust of the whole thing was to get them open 24 hours so the people wouldn’t be using other people’s doorsteps. That was the whole purpose of this, and somewhere along the line that got lost” said Anderson.

The washrooms planned for the transit exchange on 31st Ave., which should open by April, and the one near the former Safeway, will be the ones tried out.

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Councillor Kelly Fehr said that was also his intent, for 24 hour washrooms, but he would like to see what the budget impact is.

“People that don’t have bathrooms don’t just stay in one area. They’re around the city,” said Fehr.

Mayor Victor Cumming said they will get a staff report on the costs in two weeks, but it’s council’s intent to have at least one washroom available 24-7, as not having that creates lots of issues.

“The big thing is they [washrooms] have to be cleaned. That’s the whole thing. They have to be cleaned during the night to make sure they are functioning, etcetera,” Cumming told Vernon Matters.