Jane Strauss wrote asking about our restrooms. My reply includes:
Hiawatha School Park is not open on Sundays. The building hours are posted on the door. The toilets, which give access to the interior of the building are left open during those days and hours that the building is open to the public. Vandalism and other problems occur when buildings are left open without supervision. Some of our facilities have toilets available on a 7 day per week basis from early morning, to 10:00 at night (when the parks close). We do not have the resources needed to keep every location open 7 days per week. Users of the MPRB should check the park hours before using a specific location. The closest locations to Hiawatha School Park with 7 day per week toilets, and playground equipment are Minnehaha Park and Lake Nokomis.
I do remember incidents of fires and/or rapes happening in our public restrooms besides. Without the ability to have them monitored all the time it just is too problematic (and costs us lots in repairs and maintenance) they have to be closed at times.
On the porta-potty story from Chris Brogan a few weeks back, staff has since told me that when they became aware of the crisis they called the company to come out and no one was at the company who could come clean or bring other ones out. A "for real" excuse I suppose.
There is another uncontrollable factor in some of these situations also and that is the weather. Warming houses open at 30 below and enough porta-potties out in March when its 75 degrees - how is one too know?
Visions of the past....
What did everyone do in the old days before buildings and porta-potties? I guess for starters there weren't millions of people using our parks every minute of every day, but I do wonder sometimes?
I was out at 4:30am Monday morning on a parkway and actually saw two people jogging....so I guess it is used ALL the time.
As much as I love our parks there is a dilemma on our hands. Our Minneapolis parks are being loved to "death" and we are spoiled rotten as to all the services and programs our citizens have had in the past (or over the years) and the expectations they want from the Park System. But as usual in America - it's all about the money to meet your expectations.
On another note, I am in total agreement with Jason Stone, Scott Vreeland and Meg Forney (this is not an endorsement of any of them) about planning and the need for the comprehensive plan. I, too, am very concerned about the privatization of our concessions and yes, the return of Dairy Queen. Where are the policies?
We are going through a massive restructuring - yet it is at the discretion of the new Supt. rather than being built to meet the goals and objectives set out in a "new" comprehensive plan. The Board has been pretty much left out of the new organization planning. One of the major hang-ups over the years for getting this done has been the inability to find $250,000-$300,000 it is said to do a comprehensive plan for our system. Whatever! Seems we can find that amount for other things over the years. We should get this done - Don't you think?
Oh yeah - it is about - where is the money to pay for it?
As I said, "it's that same old broken record we all love - money matters".
Enough rambling on park issues for tonight, Annie Young
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