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Placement of porta-potties in Sturgis is serious business
- Deb Holland Meade County Times-Tribune
- Jun 9, 2014
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Sturgis city officials are worried that too many portable bathrooms lumped together could impede access for emergency vehicles.
Of all the planning that goes into hosting the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, one unheralded yet ultra-critical component is where to place porta-potties downtown.
In all, there are about 150 potty stations, and deciding where they go may seem a slightly undignified task for an elected body like the Sturgis City Council. Yet their actions regarding the portable toilets have great consequences for many.
During a recent council discussion on the matter, some businesses jockeyed to have the potties positioned elsewhere, especially if they hoped to lure food vendors to their property. Meanwhile, city officials worried that too many lumped together may impede access of emergency vehicles. And then there are the beer-drinking rallygoers who will be using the potties and surely demand they be close by and convenient to their activities.
Balancing all those concerns in a fair, equitable way is the job of Sturgis Public Works Director Rick Bush.
"There's a little more thought that goes into it than randomly placing it," Bush told Sturgis City Council members last week.
Although local businesses definitely benefit from having hundreds of thousands of rallygoers in town, they don't always want portable toilets abutting their property.
"Nobody ever wants them, but everybody needs them," Bush said.