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Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp
I don't believe that being aware of our town's shortcomings is necessarily being negative if we view it as constructve criticism and look for potential solutions.
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Now, that is a concept I applaud!
I'll throw out one more idea, based on the one response you got, Willow. When addressing a problem, look first for possible solutions, even ones that seem a bit far fetched. Save the downside criticism of those ideas for later, or good ideas are likely to get stomped. Only when you have a lot of ideas is it time to discuss the pros and cons.
Ideas for loos:
- Have a Civic group "adopt" the facility. Perhaps the AccringtonWeb Improvement Team? Or perhaps, one of the local businesses - with appropriate signage and recognition, of course!
- Put the loos where they are visible from a main road, when possible, or where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic. Most vandals prefer not to be seen.
- Have the loos open only at certain hours. No point in presenting temptation to the vandals at hours when legitimate users are unlikely to be present. Always locked at night is probably a good idea.
- Immediate removal or overpainting of graffiti is usually a good idea. A loo that has already been vandalized becomes an ongoing target. Keeping the facility clean and well-stocked also gives the appearance that the loos is well-cared for.
- With the relatively low cost of TV monitoring today, perhaps a video camera outside the loos to identify vandals? Signs, of course, to let folks know that they will not be unnoticed. For those caught vandalizing, community service in the form of keeping the loos clean and maintained and, perhaps, other service in the park.
- Understand that a certain amount of vandalism is almost inevitable and make plans and budgets to deal with the results.
- In Paris a number of years back, they had public loos that required a coin - perhaps two francs - but locked themselves and were self-cleaning. I found them convenient and much more pleasant to use than most facilities. Cut down on the need for maintenance, too, and had a bit of self-funding. Might be worth a thought.