Government paying ridiculous amounts to build public bathrooms

Discussion in 'Budget & Taxes' started by kazenatsu, Feb 24, 2023.

  1. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    excerpt from talk Bill Maher gave on his show:

    San Francisco, which is unfortunately the poop capital of the world, wanted to build a single public outdoor toilet. The bid came in at $1.7 million, for a toilet. And it would take three years to build.

    Then a company came along and said "You know what, I'm going to donate and pay for the installation." So donation of the thing itself, and installation. Oh, there you save $1.7 million. "No."

    This is the problem I have with government. The cost said -- and this is according to the San Francisco Chronicle -- isn't the project, it's the "project management". It will still cost $1.2 million. Even though the thing itself and the installation was free. Why? Construction management, engineering fees, permits, civic design review, surveys, contract preparation, cost estimate. This is the b(*)(*)(*)s(*)(*)(*) I'd say that sucks all the money out of America.​

    Bandit 7878 (@banditgio171) | TikTok

    Stossel had a similar story on the cost of a bathroom in New York City.

    Stossel: $2 Million Bathroom - YouTube, Reason TV


    "Here it is. This little building is a two million dollar bathroom. $2 million? I had to check it out. I was expecting gold plated fixtures. It's just a toilet, a couple urinals, 2 sinks.
    $2 million dollars?
    Do the people who use the park know what taxpayers paid for their bathroom?
    What should something like this cost?" (he interviews several random people in the park)
    "A couple thousand."
    "$70,000?"
    "Approximately $100,000, maybe."
    "They spent $2 million dollars."
    "For this? Unbelievable."

    "You could buy a nice house here for $2 million dollars.
    This nearby house was advertised for much less. It has 6 bedrooms!"

    "In the millions, for this? This is ridiculous."
    "Where's the money go?"

    "Good question. Everything costs more when government builds it. Government spends more because every decision is tied up in endless rules.
    Minority outreach. Wheelchair access. Zoning rules."

    "Your department puts out a statement current estimate to build a new bathroom is 3 million dollars."
    "It is now approaching in some cases going over 3 million."
    "Mitchell Silver is New York's Parks Commissioner."
    "So $2 million was a good deal here?"
    "$2 million was a good deal. We built these comfort stations to last."
    "But you can buy whole houses in that neighborhood for less than what you spent on this bathroom."
    "I hear that point often. And if you look at the material we use compared to a home these are very, very durable material."

    "But this bathroom is made of durable materials too. It’s so beautiful that a newspaper said it might be the fanciest in New York. Yet it cost one fifth as much as much. Why? Because it's in nearby Bryant Park, and Bryant Park is privately managed. Bryant Park built one with just as many sinks and toilets for a fifth the price."

    Yet another reason government work costs more is that government pays more."
    "We pay prevailing wage."
    "Prevailing wage turns out to mean union wages. Sometimes more than 100 dollars an hour."
    "This is a city that does believe strongly in labor."
    "That makes everything cost more. And when we watched the workers didn’t seem to work very hard.
    The final reason this so much is that it took years to build it. It took less time to build the Empire state building."
    "Why does it take you 3 years to build a bathroom?"
    "We have a process that includes design, procurement and construction. Ours because it's a public project we believe very strongly in engaging the public..."
    Engaging the public means things like the city planning department's 'uniform land use review procedure'. Try doing something quickly while following these rules.

    "Clearly the private sector does not have to go through the same process."
    "And this is a good thing, the public process? All these meetings?"
    "Oh yes it’s a good thing."
    "That's a ridiculous amount of money."

    One little building $2 million dollars. That's government at work."
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2023
  2. wgabrie

    wgabrie Well-Known Member Donor

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    It's because everything is overbuilt and overcrowded. It takes a lot of planning and work to change even an inch.

    To fix it, the whole city should be leveled, and every buried pipe and stuff dug up. Redo everything from scratch. That's the only way to fix it.
     

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