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Swisher boards seek clearer bathroom-cleaning responsibilities and weekend coverage
Summary
Council and park board discussed a new bathroom cleaning plan, renter responsibilities for clean-up, lack of weekend city staff, camera use to identify vandalism, and options including outsourcing or defined staff morning checks.
Chair opened a review of a new cleaning plan for park restrooms and asked staff how the arrangement was working this season. Staff and board members described recurring problems after weekend events and agreed the parks’ rental agreement places cleaning responsibility on renters, but that enforcement and reliability remain issues when weekends lack city staff.
Members discussed practical approaches: more explicit rental enforcement, regular morning checks (Friday and Monday currently), better use of park cameras to identify vandals, and the possibility of outsourcing Saturday morning cleanings. One board member argued for bringing clarity to responsibilities: “It’s a shared response,” the board member said, urging a defined schedule so no single group is left to handle ongoing cleanup. Staff noted outsourcing porta-john cleaning would add recurring costs (one speaker said porta-john cleaning now exceeds $150 a week) and recommended testing a limited schedule of morning checks before expanding expense commitments.
The board asked staff to prepare an operational plan that defines who checks restrooms and when (e.g., daily or select weekdays during peak season), to confirm what cleaning supplies and locked storage are available at the concession stand, and to outline cost estimates for any outsourcing. The plan will be used to guide short-term assignments and to inform budget requests for next year.
