Waihī toilet block burnt to tune of $10k

The vandalism of a Waihī toilet block will cost ratepayers around $10,000 to repair, and it is only the latest in a long line of wanton damage within the Hauraki district.
Council staff were alerted to a fire in its Haszard St toilets around 3am on April 18. It was quickly determined that the blaze was deliberately lit.
“We have seen an increase in vandalism generally,” council’s group service delivery manager Adrian de Laborde told The Profile.
“For instance, the toilet at the Waihī Cemetery being burnt to the ground last year, the current fire vandalism of the Haszard Street toilets in Waihī, and the seats on the grandstand in Paeroa Domain which had to be removed due to vandalism.
“Significant money is being spent on graffiti damage and repair. It is a real and burgeoning cost for our communities and a waste of ratepayers’ money.”
Mr de Laborde said roughly $40,000 worth of damage had been made deliberately in the last 12 months, mainly in Paeroa and Waihī.
School holidays proved to be the worst time for vandalism, he said.
And while it was “hard to tell” the exact figure to repair the most recent fire damage, Mr de Laborde said it could cost around $10,000.
With the men’s restroom suffering more damage than the women’s, council will have to install a new toilet, and toilet roll dispensers. There is also damage to the ceiling which needs cleaning, repairing, and repainting.
“Some initial work has been done to at least get one cubicle in each section working,” Mr de Laborde said. “It’s the only public toilet in the Waihī CBD so staff have gone all-out to get some functionality, although there is still much yet to do.”