What? A $250 thousand dollar toilet, is it worth it?

In today's The Cairns Post there is much talk regarding the toilet block being built that is costed at approximately the same amount as a new house. The talk centres around the costing and the need for the facility in a time when other services are being substantially reduced or cut altogether.

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis will be aware that I have previously written about a huge problem that exists on our Esplanade. The Pirate Ship has no toilets.

For some of you this might not seem like a major issue. In fact, for some this will seem like a waste of space in the blogger-sphere. If you would like to understand WHY this is a concern, consider who is using the Pirate Ship on any given day. Mother's, pregnant women and young children. Now, if you can, imagine the concern of a parent when you need to drag a toddler hundreds of metres to the nearest toilets, or the agony of a very pregnant women needing to travel that same distance when the urge to go strikes them.

Neither are in a position to travel that far comfortably and I have heard many stories that are embarrassing, humiliating and discouraging from many who just didn't make it. Children are told to use the trees surrounding the facility which is completely unhygienic for the others using the site as a play area. Pregnant women simply refuse to go down there for fear of adding their embarrassing story to the many others.

Taking all of this into consideration, add the fact that it is one of the most heard complaints on Council facilities in the Council office, then add the fact that the workers along there have copped a lot from the public as well (some even suggesting porta-loo's in the area), it's easy to see why this became a priority.

The reason it's taken 3 years of complaints to get to this point is due to the cost. At that particular part of the Esplanade it is very expensive and difficult to get sewage hooked up and lay the pipe work for that. The cost of bricks and mortar would not account for more than half the total cost of this facility.

So, to all those who are whining about a 'stupid toilet' and the cost involved, take note that there are many, many people in your community who are jumping for joy right now at this announcement. The relief of knowing that you and your family will be able to go down there without worrying about toilet breaks, is much greater than you know.