Local Focus: Rotorua lakes welcomes new toilet block

Using the public toilets at Lake Rotoma is now a much more enjoyable experience, and it's potentially safer for residents.

"We did some statistics and research behind it, particularly talking to women using the toilets, and what we got from them was a unanimous nervousness," said Rotorua Lakes Community Board chairman Phill Thomass.

The solution was to make the toilets unisex, removing the dark corridors in and out of the women's' toilets and opening the entrance to public view.

"We went from just having three very narrow little toilets for women and one toilet for men and a urinal, to four toilets for everyone to use," Thomass said.

Vandalism is still a problem. Within a week of opening, the outside sink was dented by one of the toilet doors. It's a result of anti-social behaviour and design flaws, that will be rectified by stopping the door from swinging as far.

"We have learnt a few things from there, so we'll be making a couple of changes to it in the coming months," Thomass said.

"Also we've always had this idea that we would get the community involved in doing some artwork on the toilet blocks. Our idea is to engage an artist who has worked with us before and work with the local schools to come up with the design. But where we've done it in other areas, it's been a huge bonus. It's got that real buy-in."

The community board spent $70,000 upgrading the public bathroom block at Matahi.

"What the community board did three years ago was started on this project of maybe being able to refurbish our existing toilet blocks for a lower cost.

Logistical issues with changing contractors plus a few design hitches here and there meant it took longer than expected to complete.

"This is a trial run, it will bring all our communities to and say 'well, your toilets aren't due to be replaced for 20 years, but if you like the look of this, we can do this!'."

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