GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- During a renovation at the David D. Hunting YMCA in Grand Rapids, MI, operators recently replaced three of the facility's water-free urinals with a more traditional model.
The change was needed due to smell and cost, Y Director of Operations Dwayne Moore told The Grand Rapids Press. According to Moore, the water-free urinals cost $3,300 a year to replace odor-eliminating filters. However, the new urinals are low-flow, Moore says.
According to a water-free urinal manufacturer, the urinals were not maintained per manufacturer's specifications. Due to the improper maintenance, the filters had to be changed more frequently, resulting in added costs. The Y still uses water-free urinals in other parts of the facility.
The new David D. Hunting Y was built in 2005 and received the U.S. Green Building Council award for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in 2006. The Y of Greater Grand Rapids branch was the first Y in the world to be LEED certified.
Other renovations at the Y include a new parking lot, an interior paint job, resurfaced floors, improved saunas and new benches in locker rooms, Moore told the newspaper.