The City has not had a public restroom facility in the downtown area for a number of years. There has been interest from the community and the City Council to support downtown activities, residents, and visitors to Main Street and the surrounding downtown areas and users of the City's multi-use trail system, which has three major connections in the downtown, to provide access to publicly owned restroom facilities. Public restrooms are required to support multiple types of users. They are also subject to a harsh environment and treatment. As a result, public restrooms are very costly to operate and maintain. In recent years, various companies have developed hardened, self-contained and self-cleaning facilities to address the issues faced by public restrooms. These companies include The Portland Loo and Urben Blue, who provide self-contained and self-cleaning units. Units can cost between $200,000 and $450,000 per unit, depending on options chosen and installation cost. Operational costs can range from $10,000 to $12,000 per year, depending on use. The proposed project is for one unisex facility that would be installed when the Gilbo Avenue area is reconstructed as part of the Downtown Infrastructure Improvement and Reconstruction Project. If this project is not moved forward the public will continue to not have access to a public restroom in the downtown area. As of September 11, 2024, this project is included in the city's 2025-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
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