October 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 70

OPERATIONS
High-Security, Vandal-Proof Structures
By Josh Gaunt
V
andalism at park facilities across the country has been an ongoing
issue. Restrooms, concessions and multipurpose buildings often
are hit with damaged doors or other interior fixtures critical to the
facility. During off-hours or at night, these structures are vulnerable
to crime or vandalism and replacing items can be costly. Public restrooms
are targeted and mistreated, especially in cities where facilities are accessible
24 hours a day. Drug use is another aspect that takes place in these structures
and that can create a dangerous environment for families recreating at the
nearby park. One way to combat security concerns is to design a building
that structurally reduces the capability of vandals and criminals.
City of Medford Prioritizes
Vandal-Proof Design
City of Medford in southern Oregon
had a history with people breaking
into its parks' restrooms and destroying
steel doors so often that the
city had to replace these expensive
items every couple of months.
" We were using concrete precast
restrooms with single occupancy
and people were camping in there.
The fire department would have to
check on them and pry the doors
open, " Tim Stevens, City of Medford
park and open space manager,
says. " We wanted to be able to gain
access to the restroom easier, while
also being able to see into them.
Also, we had issues with the precast
buildings settling and causing
pooling in the corners.
" The design is an actual constructed
building and hasn't had
settling issues. There are no mirrors,
no toilet seats, so very minimalist,
to reduce vandalism. "
City of Medford came up with
the preliminary design of a door/
gate system to protect the doors
with an outer gate, and Romtec
took it through to fruition for the
Bear Creek Park and Cedar Links
Park restroom buildings.
The special design utilizes a custom
steel " gate door. " This custom
door is padlocked in the open position
during the day and in the closed
position at night for added security.
When the door is open, it leads to an
open hallway with block partitions
obstructing the line of sight to the
restroom stalls. The block partitions
lessen the number of doors on the
building overall and are much harder
to destroy. There are also double
gates over the gate door, creating two
barriers for vandals to get through
when the building is locked at night.
This gate and door design nearly
eliminates destroyable doors from the
building or other vandalism. The restroom's
only door is entirely inaccessible,
as the metal gate blocks access.
Additionally, the block used on
the Cedar Links building features
strategic breaks at ground level,
combined with a security light. The
security light sits on the front of the
restroom structure and activates if
motion is detected after hours. Occupants
can then be seen through
the breaks in the block. This allows
police to easily identify if someone
is in the building without having to
70 Parks & Recreation | O CTOBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
enter or even leave their vehicle. The
door and gate system, along with
the security light and apertures for
visibility, make vandalism nearly unachievable
at the parks' restrooms.
The Sidewalk Restroom
Another way to combat vandalism
through restroom building design is
the sidewalk restroom. Its modern
design features motivate fast use of
the facility. The sleek metal exterior
and louvered vents around the
structure provide heavy ventilation.
These sidewalk restrooms are helpful
in urban areas with high foot
traffic day or night. All interior fixtures
are stainless steel, and louvers
allow occupants to be seen from the
knees down, allowing law enforcement
the ability to observe the occupant
while outside of the structure.
The lights switch colors to indicate
occupancy and can be observed
from the outside through the vents.
Extra Security Features
Security lights can be placed on the
outside of a restroom to indicate
occupancy, and some structures can
include specialty lighting that discourages
intravenous drug use. Other
features include timed door locks,
anti-graffiti coatings, access gates,
motion sensor lights and more. With
vandalism, security threats and drug
use creating issues nationwide, municipalities
are prioritizing restroom
designs that are safe, are effective at
combating vandalism and reduce operating
costs from losses.
Josh Gaunt is a Content Writer at
Romtec, Inc. (Jgaunt@romtec.com).
October 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024 – Parks & Recreation
