The Groningen town hall is plagued by clogged toilets. It happened again on Wednesday, on the ground floor where the political groups have their rooms. “But it wasn’t me,” everyone says.
The ground floor of the town hall has five toilets. And all five are out of order. “They are hidden,” says one of the ushers at city hall. “Again.” Another usher walks downstairs with paper and tape. ‘Toilets out of order’, he puts on the doors. The toilets on other floors are also out of use, because everything downstairs floods when someone flushes upstairs.
In the past two weeks, city hall ushers have been more likely to call sewer service. The last time the unblocker found wet wipes in a tube. They can clog the sewer in a short time. Now unblocker Joël Rutgers from Peter Kuil Sewer Service is already lifting paper towels out of the pot with his screwdriver.
“This is absolutely not allowed,” he says. Toilet paper falls apart in the water. Paper towels don’t do that, they are meant to retain moisture. And then there is another culprit. “We also often come across wet wipes.” Even though the packaging sometimes states that they can be thrown in the toilet, according to the unblockers this is not the case. “Only toilet paper is made for it.”
Evening program canceled
Councilors Jim Lo-A-Njoe (D66) and Daan Swets (Student & City) are now looking for a café to go to the toilet. Others go to the Forum or to the municipal office on Kreupelstraat. Because the toilets at city hall cannot be used for hours and there is no prospect of a solution, the council members are given the rest of the day off. The complete evening program is cancelled. “We get shit-free,” smiles Etkin Armut (CDA).
Around six o’clock, clerk Josine Spier made the decision. She supports the council members in their work. “We are not only representatives of the people, but also hosts for residents,” she explains the decision. “You offer someone a cup of coffee or a glass of water, and then they should be able to get rid of it. You just want to be able to receive people well and that is not possible now.”
The council members of Groningen have their faction rooms on the ground floor. But none of them claim responsibility for the clogged toilets. “I sit here on Wednesdays from nine in the morning to ten at night and if you have to, you have to,” says Jalt de Haan (CDA). “But it wasn’t me now.” Leendert van der Laan of the Party for the North says he will do ‘just a small message’ at city hall. The same applies to Niels Hilboesen of the City Party. “I do that properly at home,” he says.
The cause remains a mystery for the time being, and the sewer service also has no answer for the time being. But a blessing in disguise: the council members are home early. This also applies to unblocker Joël Rutgers. He is relieved by a colleague early in the evening. “I’m going out for dinner. It is Valentine’s Day after all, right.”