Toilet design’s a fresh idea

City’s water bureau comes up with prototype offering cheap, crime-free flushes

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Apr 11, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (28 Reader comments)

COURTESY OF OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER RANDY LEONARD

A public restroom designed by the Portland Water Bureau may debut at Northwest Glisan Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues later this year.

Over the years, Randy Leonard has worked as a Portland firefighter, a state legislator and, now, as a city commissioner.

But he probably will be remembered as the King of Toilets.

“I know that’s how I’m likely to go down in history, but there’s nothing I can do it about it now,” he said.

Leonard believes he will be forever linked with toilets because he has taken on the task of designing and installing new public restrooms in Portland. Although the need for new restrooms has long been known – especially in the Old Town area where many of the city’s homeless people live – no council member made it a priority until Leonard stepped forward last year.

“The older I get, the more this issue means to me,” he joked.

At Leonard’s request, the council assigned the task to the Portland Water Bureau, which he oversees. After receiving $250,000 to develop a prototype restroom, the bureau came up with a design for a cylinder that houses a single toilet, with the sink mounted on the outside so users do not linger inside.

The unconventional design also features louvered openings at the base to allow police to see how many people are in the restroom.

“The louvers allow the police to look in, but not up,” Leonard said.

According to Leonard, the design is so unique that the city is looking at securing a patent for it.

“I believe this design will work so well, other cities will want to use it,” Leonard said. “There’s no reason that Portland shouldn’t make some money off it.”

Leonard hopes the design can be built and installed for around $10,000, far less than the $270,000 or more that traditional public restrooms cost. He wants the first one in place along Northwest Glisan Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues later this year.

“Once people see how well this works, I think we’ll have requests to install it in other parts of town,” he said.

Leonard expects the water bureau to issue a Request for Proposal to begin building the toilets in the near future. He plans to ask the council for an additional $250,000 in next year’s bureau budget to fund the work.

“I hope to build as many as $500,000 will buy,” he said.

New park may go without

The city has been urged to build more public restrooms by a group of Old Town business owners and other who have banded together under the name PHLUSH, which stands for Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human.

More than two years ago, the group began lobbying the council to address the problems created by people using the streets for toilets. The Clean and Safe program operated by the Portland Business Alliance receives thousands of calls for human waste removal every year.

One person who would appreciate the project’s success is Ken Love, chairman of the South Portland Neighborhood Association that includes the neighborhood being built in the South Waterfront area.

Love serves on the advisory committee helping design the first public park in the area. It will be located on a two-block area bounded by Southwest Curry and Gaines streets and Moody and Bond avenues. Love said the design is going well, but he is bothered that Portland Parks & Recreation says there is not enough money to include a public restroom.

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