Rehoboth Purchases Portable Toilets

The Board of Selectmen authorized the purchase of portable toilets for Francis Farm at their February 12 meeting.

Chairman Skip Vadnais said the toilets are needed due to a lack of restroom facilities at the Museum building, where town meetings and elections are held.

People with disabilities now have to walk several hundred feet to access the restrooms at Francis Hall, which Vadnais notes can be difficult, especially in cold weather months like February and March.

Sue Pimental, the town’s Chief Compliance Officer, said three bids were received. Selectmen voted to accept the bid for $71,550 since the toilets are available to ship now. 

“This is part of an encumbrance from FY22 to build out the Museum in order to conduct town meeting as well as move all other board and committee meetings out of the (Council on Aging) to the Museum as well,” Pimental explained. “There are currently no bathrooms at the Museum. The town looked at adding bathrooms to the Museum as originally planned, however, the state denied adding a tight tank for the toilets. To (install) additional toilets we would need to expand and move the current septic system, a process which would be extremely expensive and time consuming.”

Pimental added the portable trailer allows the trailer to be moved to other town events such as the Memorial Day parade, as well as to be made available for recreational activities on Francis Farm.  The trailer includes a handicap accessible unit.