Submitted by: Priyanka Joshi
Submitting Department: Public Works
Agenda Section: Consent
Item Title:
title
Throne Public Bathrooms - Contract Extension
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Suggested Action:
recommendation
* This item was tabled at the Council Meeting of March 18, 2024. A motion to remove this item from the table must be voted on prior to Council consideration of this motion. *
I move that the Mayor and Council approve the renewal of Throne Labs rental services for five public restrooms for 1-year under their existing contract with the City. This expenditure, not to exceed $230,000, will be funded using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as part of the Public Restrooms and Shower Facility project pre-approved by the Council during the April 17th, 2023, meeting. The Treasurer is authorized to make the necessary adjustments to the budget to facilitate this expenditure.
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Summary Background:
Cost Analysis
Throne Portable Restrooms offers cost-effective and flexible restroom solutions suitable for various park locations, and adaptability to changing park usage patterns. The City is currently leasing four throne restrooms and is requesting a fifth. The Throne is determined to be the best option for several locations (38th Ave, Driskell, and the Spot) due to the lack of water, sewer, and power lines and the prohibitive cost of installing these services. Temporary solutions are the most cost-efficient options for these locations. The other two locations Heurich and Hyatt Parks will have Throne restrooms for approximately one year until the Portland Loo’s can be permanently installed. The staff does not recommend installing the Portland Loo in the other park locations because the parks do not currently have water, sewer, and power. The cost to install the Portland Loo in these locations varies, based on distance to the nearest utility lines but averages $680,000, plus $30,000 in annual operating costs. The annual Throne operating cost is $40,870 and is cost-effective compared to installing a Portland Loo. The City can evaluate newer technologies and lower cost options each year to determine if there are newer, more cost effective options for temporary and permanent restrooms in these locations.
FY24 Throne Usage Data
Additional info, from August 2023 to February 2024, 10,948 users utilized the Throne facilities, indicating their effectiveness.
Rational for Restrooms at Park Locations
The rationale outlined for choosing portable restrooms at each park location,
• 38th Ave Park: The cost of permanent restroom construction is over $934,000 for sewer, water main, power supply, Portland Loo purchase, and site preparation.
• Driskell Park: The cost of adding permanent restroom facilities ranges from $350,000 to $400,000, including infrastructure and a Portland Loo.
• Heurich Park and Hyatt Park: The need for restroom facilities is temporary until Portland Loos, purchased with CARES Act funding, are installed in Q1 of FY25.
• The Spot: The additional Throne restroom will be located at the Spot. We will evaluate that location for feasibility and cost of installing a permanent restroom once completed.
Equity Analysis
An equity analysis has been conducted for five identified locations, detailed in the attached document. See attached document for, Equity Considerations for Throne Public Bathrooms Contract Extension.
Hyattsville Tap Card Statistics
Hyattsville has been a learning partner for Throne as the Tap Card Technology launched. City staff was first trained during September 2023 on the card distribution process. Shortly after Throne discovered that the Tap Cards were working intermittently. The risk that a card fails when needed seemed worse than pausing card distribution while Throne’s engineering teams identified and solved the issue and thoroughly tested Tap Card reliability.
Tap Cards were launched (again) February 2, 2024, and have been reliably working. Since then:
Park % Card Uses
Hyatt Park 28%
Heurich Park 24%
38th St Park 25%
Driskell Park 24%
• Seven (7) cards were distributed in the first 46 days
• Tap card have been used 72 times
• The majority of users have used the Tap Card on 2-3 occasions
• All but one user has used their Tap Card at more than one park
• One (1) user has integrated Throne into their routine and has used the Tap Card 59 times in 46 days (fairly evenly spread throughout)
• Tap Card usage is spread roughly evenly across all Hyattsville Throne locations (see Table)
Next Steps:
Issue purchase order and deploy 1 additional restroom.
Fiscal Impact:
NTE $230,000
City Administrator Comments:
Recommend Support. The staff will continue to explore lower cost options with closer access to water and sewer lines.
Community Engagement:
N/A
Strategic Goals:
Goal 3 - Promote a Safe and Vibrant Community
Legal Review Required?
N/A