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Committee accepts donation of three single-unit Portland Loos; officials flag maintenance and utility costs
Summary
Council approved accepting three donated Portland Loos from Campus District Inc. The structures will be installed at Perk Park and Canal Basin Park as a pilot; staff estimated about $1,600 per month maintenance per unit and discussed utility and maintenance responsibilities.
The Municipal Services and Properties Committee on March 31 approved Ordinance No. 1062, accepting three single‑unit Portland Loos donated by Campus District Inc. to be installed and maintained for public use at Perk Park and Canal Basin Park.
Why it matters: Committee members and staff portrayed the donation as a pilot meant to test whether prefabricated, vandal‑resistant restroom structures can expand public restroom access in parks and public spaces. Council members pressed officials on recurring maintenance costs, installation funding, utilities and ownership/maintenance agreements with other agencies.
Bonnie Teowin, chief operating officer, told the committee the pilot includes one unit at Perk Park and two at Canal Basin Park; the Canal Basin units would be part of Phase 1 of that park’s improvements and therefore included in the park’s capital bid items. Abby Henry in the mayor’s office estimated cleaning would cost about $1,600 per month per structure (roughly $20,000 per year per unit). Staff said utility costs (water and electric) were estimated at roughly $100 per month per structure, and that Cleveland Public Power would likely provide electrical service where available but that final connections remain site‑specific and would be completed at installation.
Maintenance responsibility varied by location in staff descriptions: Perk Park maintenance will be performed by Downtown Cleveland Inc. (DCI); staff said they anticipate Metro Parks will maintain the two Canal Basin units but have not signed agreements; Parks staff named an internal backup plan in which parks crews who already service portable toilets could be redirected to the Portland Loos if needed.
Council members asked whether the Loos are ADA‑accessible and whether adult changing tables are available. Staff said the units are ADA‑accessible, include baby changing stations, but do not come with adult changing tables; they will research options for adult changing facilities. The units are unisex, staff said, and the two Canal Basin units would be placed next to one another.
The ordinance was approved by voice vote. Staff said the donation is a pilot and could inform future installations and decisions about replacing or supplementing existing fixed restroom buildings.
