PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Portland has not given up on building public toilets after agreeing settling a lawsuit that alleged the previous ones had been illegally funded.
On Wednesday the City Council will consider a request from Portland Parks & Recreation to fund $1,172,019 in improvements to Couch Park. Part of the request includes the installation of a pubic toilet know as a Portland Loo.
The freestanding toilets were first designed and funded by the Portland Water Bureau. But, during a longrunning ratepayer lawsuit, a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge ruled they should not have been paid with water funds. The city recently settled the suit for $10 million without admitting any wrongdoing.
The request includes a number of improves in Couch Park, including a Portland Loo. All costs would be paid by the parks bureau. Other work includes the removal and replacement of existing play equipment, the installation of safety surfacing, and the removal of brick paver plaza for the completion of significant Americans With Disability Act improvements.
Most of the project is funded from the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond approved by Portland voters, with other funds coming from a $150,000 Metro Nature in Neighborhood grant and $350,000 raised through the Harper Playground Foundation.
“The replacement of the play area and the installation of a Portland Loo at Couch Park were both identified as a project to be funded by the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond. The existing play area is out of date, has potential safety implications, and does not provide for equal access to play and inclusion for children and caretakers of all abilities,” reads the ordinance authorizing the funding, which says the existing restroom will be closed to the public.
You can read the ordinance here.
To read a previous Portland Tribune story on the settlement, click here.
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