Portland Loo could be installed in Park Blocks

Last Friday, the city installed its third “Portland Loo,” a 24-hour public restroom. Now, members of Commissioner Randy Leonard’s office are considering putting one in the South Park Blocks. 

Before the Portland Loo project began in December of 2008, there was only one 24-hour public restroom in the entire city, according to Anna DiBenedetto, the main coordinator of the project in Leonard’s office. She said that it took a year of planning before the first installation actually happened.   

In regards to how this installation could affect the Portland State campus and students, Campus Public Safety Office Director Michael Soto said that he would have no issue with a Loo in the midst of campus.  

“I’m not against having a Loo installed in the Park Blocks,” Soto said. “Although, we do have to be aware of behavioral issues that come with these restrooms.”

Soto explained that CPSO has had issues with the single-occupancy unisex bathrooms on campus. There have been instances of these restrooms being locked for extended periods of time because people have used them to sleep and wash in.  

While there are slats installed at the top and bottom of each Loo to allow public safety officials to see if there is more than one person in the restroom, Soto is still concerned.

“If I were doing drugs, and knowing they can see my feet, could I just stand on the toilet to avoid being seen?” he said.

According to Soto, behavioral issues such as this scenario would need to be taken into account if a Loo is installed.  

However, when asked about the potential dangers of more 24-hour public restrooms, DiBenedetto said that there is no correlation between the Loos and crime.

Despite his concern, Soto said that the Loo would undoubtedly decrease the amount of public urination and defecation that take place in public.

“In fact, businesses around the Loos have noticed less public urination and defecation taking place,” DiBenedetto added.

There are currently three Loos in the city; the first two are located on Northwest Glisan Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, and on Southwest Naito Parkway and Taylor Street. The newest addition is located on Southwest Naito and Ash Street.

Installation is a very simple process. According to DiBenedetto, this essentially involves pouring a concrete slab in the ground and sticking the Loo on top. Each Loo is solar-powered, so there isn’t any need to hook them up to the city’s power grid, DiBenedetto said.  

Each unit costs approximately $60,000 to manufacture and $1,500 every month to maintain, according to DiBenedetto. Additionally, she said that Portland is trying to sell them to other cities for around $86,000 per unit.

“We would like to be able to have a self-sustaining flow of money to keep producing and installing more,” she said. “The sky’s the limit.”

She said that if they could sell more, she would love to be able to put them all over the city where there is “frequent recreation and large groups of people.”  

To manage and maintain the Loos, DiBenedetto is working with two other people from the water bureau to manage them. As for restocking and maintenance, there is one employee who comes by twice a day to make sure everything is in order. ?