A proposal to upgrade a toilet block at a local sports club sparked heated debate at last week’s Logan City Council lifestyle committee meeting.
The proposal was to approve funding for a roof replacement and new toilets at Middle Green Sports Club.
But what was originally supposed to be a quick vote turned into a 30-minute debate between councillors.
The main topic of discussion was whether the club should receive funding from council to build disability-accessible toilets, which could cost around $500,000.
Cr Scott Bannan was vocal about supporting the motion, even though “it’s not even his division”.
“The fact is, these aren’t toilets that are used once or twice a week – these are the sports clubs’ toilets, so they’re used every day,” he said.
“The people who ring me about it… are 70 years old and have made multiple complaints in the last two or three years.”
But Cr Mindy Russell wasn’t as convinced.
She said there were many examples of clubs in Logan without co-accessible toilets that were possibly more deserving.
“I’m trying to work out what the difference is between this example and all the other examples across the city,” Cr Russell said.
“This club has the benefit of poker machine revenue – something not many clubs have.”
So, she asked, has the club offered to use their “significant additional revenue” to help pay for the toilet upgrade?
The answer was no.
Mayor Darren Power said the club needed the upgrades, but he was sceptical of the cost.
“You can build a house for that much,” Cr Power said.
“It’s a bit hard to swallow some of these prices.
“I know building costs have gone up… but I don’t think it would pass the pub test.”
