Finance Committee - 02/05/2020 Page 11
From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Portable Toilet Contract (Value: $32,140) Department: 177 Parks and Recreation; Funds: General
and Trusts
MOTION BY ALDERMAN HARRIOTT-GATHRIGHT TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE, AND AUTHORIZE THE
CONTRACT FOR PORTABLE TOILETS IN THE AMOUNT OF $32,140 TO UNITED SITE SERVICES.
FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 177 PARKS AND RECREATION; FUND: GENERAL AND
TRUSTS
ON THE QUESTION
Mr. Caggiano
We put out 32 units every year at various parks throughout the City. This was put out to bid competitively
through our vendor list and our web site. We only received on bid, it was a little more than | could afford to
spend on this so we negotiated with them and we actually got them to reduce their cost. So that worked out
pretty good.
Alderwoman Kelly
It’s important stuff when you are at out at the park. Real important. So when you negotiated did you get down
to where you were or even lower?
Mr. Caggiano
No he held his price, United held their price for over 10 years. So it was time and | understood that but it was
almost going to be doubled and we just said “no”. We tried to negotiate with them a little bit and they looked at
it and they sharpened their pencil.
Alderwoman Kelly
Can | follow up? | know there are definitely spots that we have to have portapotties. Do we ever look at what
the long term costs of renting these is against putting in actual bathhouse or bathroom that would be there?
Mr. Caggiano
Bathhouses are expensive so if anybody does construction, you know if you redo a kitchen or a bathroom it’s
$300.00 a square foot is a pretty good price to go on. And when you do it commercially with the type —
hundreds of thousands of dollars could be spend. Then there is not water at all the parks, we would have to
bring in sewer, it’s a big thing. | don’t ever see us getting away from portable units.
Alderwoman Kelly
| am sure there are places where it definitely doesn’t work, | was just asking if we have ever looked at that, “Oh
this does have water, it does make sense, we should put in a bathhouse or just a small bathroom’.
Mr. Caggiano
We do have them; at Mine Falls by the soccer fields, that made sense there, we were right on top of the sewer,
and the water was there. We have time locks on there so they are only available for us during normal business
hours. So somebody can’t go in and vandailize it.
Alderman O’Brien
| am kind of just wondering how are we with the liability as far as any vandalism to these things?
