GEDDES -- As the State Fair staff looks back at the 900,000 people who attended this year's fair, they are also beginning to make plans for next year. Through this process, one issue keeps coming up.
Many people felt that the company in charge of restroom maintenance, Human Technologies Corporation, wasn't fully prepared.
State Fair Director Dan O'Hara says, "With the restrooms this year, I'm just not sure they understood the magnitude. Generally speaking, people that come to the fair, at some point, are going to have to use the restroom."
O'Hara also says there were a lot of complaints, particularly in the beginning of the fair.
"We certainly have to address the issue - it was probably our biggest issue this year at the fair," he says.
Human Technologies Corporation hired approximately 400 workers to handle trash removal and restroom cleaning at the fair, and around 85 percent of them have significant disabilities. CEO Rick Sebastian says the majority of the problems came from working through logistics and supply issues and not with the staff. He also says there will be at least one cleaning crew member in each bathroom at all times next year.
One of the workers responsible for maintaining these bathrooms this year says he is also upset with Human Technologies Corporation. Anthony Isaac says he worked almost forty hours during the fair, but still hasn't received a check.
Isaac says,"I just want to be paid for the work I did. I believe if you do an honest days work, you're supposed to get an honest days pay and that is just really frustrating for me."
The CEO of Human Technologies Corporation spoke with us today, and said he will make sure Isaac gets a check, even if he has to hand deliver it to him. He also added that the company mailed a check to Isaac, but it came back returned. He said that Isaac is the only employee of the 400 at the fair who hasn't been paid yet.
