Asheville – “On the one hand, I see so many deep needs in our community, and we have high-rated equity- and feasibility-scored projects from the ARPA COVID-19 relief that still aren’t funded. [Even though] we still have the need in our community, this is lower on the list.
“But on the other hand, over the past year—with all the concerns about downtown, the safety of workers and commuters, especially late at night and on the weekends—I’ve been doing some personal tours of downtown to better understand—especially when workers are getting off of work—what it looks like to commute through downtown. And I’ve been surprised at the number of times that I’ve had to either help a worker or take the initiative to clean up human excrement off the sidewalk. It is very unpleasant, and I don’t even have a place at that point to wash my hands because the bathrooms are closed.”
Councilwoman Kim Roney would probably prefer this soliloquy to not be the one for which she goes down in history. It was, however, not too shabby given that the topic of conversation was a proposal to install a Portland Loo near the Rankin parking garage.
Roney acknowledged the pressure council had been feeling from members of the public concerned about cleanliness and public health. She knew that even though these prefabricated restrooms were hardy, they would come with ongoing maintenance needs, which would be substantial with a 24-7-365 schedule, given the amount of foot traffic in the area.
The existing porta-potty, she said, was inadequate. With all the attention the city is paying to trying to get sidewalks ADA-compliant, it makes no sense to have bathrooms that handicapped people, or even families with small children and perhaps even strollers, cannot negotiate.
Mayor Esther Manheimer said she agreed with all Roney had said. Her main concern, though, was that the city had so many restrooms, a stone’s throw from the proposed location for the Portland Loo, that were not being used. She called attention to restrooms on Haywood Street and four more on Pack Square.
When asked about the latter after the meeting, three members of city staff scurried to get an answer, and within minutes the responses were pouring in. It seems the Pack Square lavatories were closed because the fixtures froze during the recent cold spell. The equipment has since been repaired, and the facilities are now open to the public.
Getting into the weeds, the helpful staff members were asked off-hand about the potential functionality of the segregation era lavatories Asheville’s former investigative reporter Peter Dawes claimed existed below a concrete slab in Pack Square. Staff, understandably, was more interested in problem-solving than entertaining annoying excursions.
Back to the meeting, Manheimer said citizens had been complaining about the city spending $650,000 in competitive ARPA funds on a lavatory. For one thing, installation required utility connections.
“I just want to make sure we have looked at our other current facilities that are within a block on either side of this location and just make sure there isn’t a way to open those so that they are available—what would it take?” Manheimer said that just before the meeting, she heard about an offer from the Asheville Downtown Association to take care of the Haywood Street restrooms. She also observed that the Parks and Recreation Department does a great job maintaining restrooms throughout the city, and the Pack Memorial Library has operated a restroom for years not far away from Pack Square.
Manheimer even toyed with the possibility that the Salvation Army might open its restroom to the public after hours. While the purchase and installation contracts were ready for approval, she did not want council to vote on the Portland Loo until she had understood the costs of reactivating existing lavatories.
Capital Projects Director Jade Dundas offered that when the city had tried to operate a lavatory downtown, vandalism and toilet-clogging would occur “as soon as” the attendants took a break, and that would lead to “downtime the next day… Depending on the severity of the issue, it might be a couple hours or it might be half a day.”
Regarding the Portland Loo, Dundas said, “I wouldn’t say that there’s anything that can’t be plugged up or fouled with, but in this case, they’re designed to withstand more of that abuse.” In other words, less ongoing maintenance should be needed. The Portland Loo is low-tech with durable parts and finishes, and it typically requires restocking and disinfecting only two to five times a day.