Toilets destroyed. Faucets ripped from the wall. Graffiti everywhere. These are the devastating sights confronting the parks director for Bountiful City in public park bathrooms around Bountiful City.

“It’s been a problem since I took the job 12 years ago, but the destruction seems to have ramped up this year starting around March,” said Brock Hill. “We’ve seen everything from minor damage like rolled-up toilet paper on the walls and ceilings and in toilets so they clog up and overflow, to major destruction of the faucets, toilets and so forth. Also, the graffiti has gotten really extensive.”

 Restrooms with the most damage tend to be in parks closest to public schools, such as Bountiful Junior High, Bountiful High School and Mueller Park Junior High. But some of the destruction has migrated to trailheads.

“Sometimes we’ll get a restroom repaired and open, only to have it destroyed again within a day and we have to close it back up,” said Hill. “The trailhead bathroom on Hidden Lake Circle has been closed for three years now because every time we open it, it gets destroyed again. People have lit fires and firecrackers inside it.”

It’s a costly problem without an effective solution at this point.

Hill guesses the cost to the city is approaching $10,000, which includes replacement of parts and clean-up by his staff. “We also have to watch surveillance videos in some locations, and work with the juvenile court system, police and school administrators. It’s time consuming.”

There’s much speculation as to the motivation behind the effacing of the bathrooms including: TikTok videos, adolescent angst, peer pressure, family challenges and boredom, to name a few.

“I’ve lost sleep staring at my ceiling wondering why this is happening,” said Hill. “Is it a dare? A challenge to outdo a friend? Boredom? As park personnel, we don’t get a chance to sit and talk to the people doing the damage. That’s usually police officers. We report anything that happens to them.”

It’s not just a local problem, it’s a challenge across the nation.

In terms of viable solutions, nothing has worked so far in Bountiful, according to Hill.

“Our hands are a little bit tied when it comes to public restrooms because we have to be really careful about invasion of privacy,” said Hill.

He wishes the school district could change some of its policies that currently either allow or even force students to be off-campus during lunch or at other times, during which time a lot of the damage occurs.

“We need to reach out to parents so they understand what their kids are up to,” continued Hill. “In my opinion, that’s where the solution starts. Parents need to teach kids about the ramifications of their behaviors.

“In my mind, there are three things we need,” said Hill. “We need help from parents. We need help from the school district and we need help from the community. If you see something, say something. Speak up if you witness something, that would be huge. Don’t just post it on Facebook three days after you witnessed it.”