from the News & Observer:
Orange County Commissioner Stephen Halkiotis shared a concern at a board meeting Tuesday night.
“I decided as I get older, I want something a little more royal in a toilet,” he said.
Replacing the old toilet wasn’t the problem. Figuring out what to do with it was.
Halkiotis pressure-washed it, then moved it into his garage temporarily.
He told the board and county staff that he was hesitant to take it to one of the county’s salvage sheds where residents usually swap household items in good condition. That’s because he and other commissioners have recently heard complaints from several residents who were directed by convenience center operators to throw items away rather than make them available to others.
Halkiotis wants to see more training so that items such as bed frames and lawn mowers that still work don’t get directed to the trash bins.
“Can’t we get these people in for overtime, feed them some sandwiches and do a program on what we’re all about?” Halkiotis said.
He passed around a photo of his used toilet and encouraged anyone who would be interested in it to call him at home.
“I’ll help you lift it up and put it in the truck,” he offered.
Public Works Director Wilbert McAdoo assured Halkiotis that the convenience center staff were getting more training. He added that the toilet would be welcome in the salvage shed and wouldn’t be the first to find a new home.
Halkiotis said anyone interested should call him by today.
