Closed toilets a pressing problem

At the February meeting of Kilkee Town Council, members expressed concern that that the public toilet, which made a loss of more than €30,000 in 2011, may not be open for St Patrick’s Day or for Easter Weekend.
In reply to Councillor Karen Reilly’s motion that Clare County Council outline their summer plans for staffing levels in Kilkee and the opening times of the public toilets, town engineer Derek Troy said outdoor staffing numbers will be reduced by 12% in west Clare this year.
The town engineer also said the toilets would open from 8.30am to 4.30pm daily. However, he later added that if there was a demand for the toilets to be opened beyond 4.30pm, the toilets’ opening hours would be extended.
On a related note, Councillor Paddy Collins expressed his disbelief that the public toilets may be closed for upcoming bank holidays, including March 17.
“I think it’s amazing that we don’t have public toilets for the Easter weekend and St Patrick’s weekend,” he said.
“There’s quite a challenge trying manage our resources,” town manager Nora Kaye replied. “We are just crippled by the embargo,” she stated.
Councillor Collins suggested volunteers be sought to maintain, open and close the public toilets.
“If there was someone willing to volunteer, we could look at it,” Ms Kaye said. Derek Troy added that there was a problem with vandalism and the public toilets.
However, he didn’t’ rule out opening the toilets when there was a demand on busy weekends.
“We will look at the busy weekends as they come up,” he confirmed.