Neighborhood Parks
Restroom Facilities Discussion
August 13, 2025
1 Staff requests City Council to review cost
estimates, select a restroom option, and
direct staff to proceed with
procurement, design, and installation
planning.
Recommendation
3 • Background
• Examine the types of toilets available
• Cost of each permanent design and cost of leased options • Cost of annual maintenance
• Procurement analysis
• Break-even point leasing vs purchasing
Discussion Topics
Background – Restroom Needs
at Neighborhood Parks
• Heavy use at Wicklund, Bethany, Altamont, and Questa
has created a need for permanent restrooms.
• Parks were planned for passive use by nearby residents. • Lack of athletic facilities led to organized sports in neighborhood parks.
• Visiting teams relied on portable restrooms, with
limited space to place them.
Background – Restroom Needs
at Neighborhood Parks
• Oct. 8, 2014: Board discussed options for
enclosures to conceal portable restrooms.
• May 18, 2017: Board discussed policy for portable
toilet use at neighborhood parks.
• May 6, 2020: Budget workshop reviewed costs for
a four-year program to add restrooms at Wicklund,
Bethany, Altamont, and Questa parks.
1. Centralized Wastewater Treatment
(Municipal Sewage) Wastewater from
homes and buildings is flushed into a
sewer system and processed at a
treatment plant.
2. Chemical Toilets Waste is held in a tank
with chemicals that deodorize and
partially break it down. Waste is pumped
and hauled to a treatment facility.
*Greywater Diversion (Supplemental Only)
Note: Greywater (from hand wash sinks, etc.) is not toilet waste, but when separated from blackwater, it can be treated and reused more easily. Helps reduce load on blackwater systems.
Types of Toilets
3. Septic Systems Waste flows into a
buried tank, where solids settle and liquids
drain into a leach field. Natural bacteria
break down waste inside the tank.
4. Composting Toilets Waste is broken
down aerobically by bacteria, fungi, and
worms turning into compost-like material.
5. Incinerating Toilets Waste is burned
into sterile ash using electricity or gas.
Requires no water or sewer connection.
Common Portable Chemical
Toilet W/Enclosure
7 • Construct one (1) enclosure or screening
per park to accommodate one (1) Rented
ADA portable chemical toilet and
additional trash totes.
• Site construction and Enclosures (4 units):
$100K
Mobile Luxury - Rental
• Construct one (1) concrete pad per park to
accommodate one (1) leased ADA mobile
luxury chemical toilet.
• Site construction and Enclosures (4 singledoor units): $60K ROMTEC Restroom Vault Chemical Toilet - Purchase
9 Construct one (1) toilet design
chemical vault toilet per park.
Includes design, engineering,
permitting and construction.
Total Project Costs (4 singledoor units): $760K
Green Flush Restroom
(chemical toilet)
10 • Construct one (1) toilet design chemical
vault toilet per park. Includes design,
engineering, permitting and construction.
• Total Project Costs (4 single-door units):
$835K
Plumbed Restrooms
• Constriction cost for a package restroom
designed like restrooms in our current
parks.
• Total for Units (1 toilet units): $1.28M
Jan-2025
Daily Service
Annual $ Per Unit 4 units
Janitorial $22,000 $88,000
Supplies $6,040 $24,160
*Annual Maintenance
Costs $112,160
Firm Costs - Janitorial Maintenance
*7-days per week, does not include utility costs, or vandalism cost Jan-2025
Purchased Permanent, Portable and mobile Vault Toilets
Annual $ Per Unit 4 units Annually
*Purchased Units 1X weekly
Pumping w/Additional
Services $4,800 $24,000
Additional Services for Rented
units
$396
(Summer 12x) $4,800
Firm Costs-Pumping Fees
*Rented units include 1 pumping and stocking per week: Only additional services apply
Lease vs. Buy Analysis
14 Total 4 Units
Initial Cost Outlay Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Portable Toilet with Enclosure $100,000 $136,160 $276,405 $420,857 $569,643 $722,892 Luxury Mobile Units Rental $60,000 $308,960 $627,189 $954,964 $1,292,573 $1,640,311 Luxury Mobile Units Purchase $365,000 $136,160 $276,405 $420,857 $569,643 $722,892 Vault Chemical - Structure $760,000 $140,960 $286,149 $435,693 $589,724 $748,376 Flush Vault Chemical Structure $835,000 $140,960 $286,149 $435,693 $589,724 $748,376 ROMTEC Plumbed 1 Toilet Restroom $1,280,000 $112,160 $227,685 $346,675 $469,236 $595,473 Existing ROMTEC 2 Toilet Design $2,780,000 $112,160 $227,685 $346,675 $469,236 $595,473 Accumulative Annual Maintenance Costs + 3% Annual CPI Options 15 BreakEven
Analysis
16 Cumulative
Cost
Comparison
17 Cumulative
Cost
Comparison
Portable Unit Benefits:
• very low initial start up cost
compared to building
• avoids many permit requirements,
compared to a permanent
restroom
• costly sewer, water and power
connections not necessary
• the only up-front construction
needed is a concrete pad
Possible Downsides To Portable Unit:
• leasing would entail higher long- term costs
• building a permanent structure is a
standard and will follow the MH
design requirements
• building a plumbed facility avoids
pumping fees and lower long-term
maintenance costs
• lifespan of a permanent unit is
much longer than a portable unit
Take Aways
18 Following Council direction:
• Staff will return to seek approval for:
- Selection of an engineering design consulting firm for design and installation (pending the option selected);
- Procurement of the restroom facility; and
- Ancillary project costs and contracts.
Next Steps
19 Staff requests City Council to review cost
estimates, select a restroom option, and
direct staff to proceed with
procurement, design, and installation
planning.
Recommendation
Discussion
21