The toilet debate heats up

Friends of Middleton Beach, we have just received this email from Alexandra Tucker, the Reserves Officer with the City of Albany. Looks like the crunch is on and we better get our join approach sorted.

I just wanted to include your group on the progress of the environmental composting public toilets funded through the Royalties for Regions money. We are bringing you up to date as I understand that the group did not make comment on the project scope when it was out for public comment recently. Since then, the City is making good progress on the project and I would like to update the group on our development. We have a project budget of $40,000 and we have been exploring the available options. The facilities will include two disabled unisex toilets of which the rooms will be big enough to double as change rooms and will have hand basins with running water connected.

Connection

It was preferable to hook the toilet into sewer, of which the nearest connection is 360m away from the toilet site. An approximate cost estimate for connection to mains sewer is in the vicinity of $110,000 to $120,000. Therefore the only available option left was to install a composting variety.

Design

We have explored various options for installation and they are:

1. A clivus composting toilet system to be supplied and installed by provider at a cost of $30,000 and CoA to build the structure (colourbond building with ramp access, will sit approximately 3.4m high) at a cost of $23,000. A total of $53,000

2. A clivus composting toilet system and structure to be supplied and erected by the provider at a cost of $77,000

3. A Landmark Engineering system to be supplied, erection by CoA (colourbond building with verandah and flush with the ground (no ramp), will sit approximately 2.6m high) at a cost of $34,000

4. Lower King toilet design supplied and installed (concrete slab building and flush with ground) at a cost of $40,000

Based on these provisional quotes (keeping in mind there may be incidentals associated with the cost) the best option to the project team is option 3, the Landmark Engineering design. The building itself can be any standard colourbond colour. This particular building will allow for the option of artwork or similar to be attached to the outside in the future. I have included a scan of the landmark engineering design for you to look at (sorry about the black and white aspect but I am unable to scan documents in colour). As this project is funded by the Royalties for Regions funding there are very tight/strict timelines regarding completion dates for the project (Must be completed by September 2009).