Council approves $35,025 porta‑john warrant; members press for plan to reopen closed park restrooms and ADA access

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh's standing committees approved a $35,025 warrant on March 26 to settle prior portable-restroom invoices, and council members used the discussion to press the Department of Public Works on a longer-term plan to repair, reopen or replace permanent restrooms in city parks.

The warrant (bill 16-64) was described by Public Works staff as a bookkeeping action to clear older billings from 2022–2023, while the current porta‑john contract is held by a different vendor. "For the warrant itself, this is actually just a bookkeeping warrant that's taking up some old prior billings," Don Mudrick, manager of personnel and finance for Public Works, said during the committee.

Council members pressed Public Works staff for detail on the condition and cost of bringing offline restroom buildings back into service and on deployment policies for portable restrooms. Director Chris Hornstein said the department maintains 20 permanent restrooms citywide that receive in-house cleaning; other permanent facilities that have been closed will require "significant" maintenance and repairs before they can be reopened. "There's a lot of layering features in there when you go to reactivate a building that, you know, necessitates time," Hornstein said.

Why it matters: Council members flagged recurring porta‑john costs and year-to-year dependence on portable units as evidence the city needs a strategy to determine where permanent restrooms are needed and what it will cost to restore them. Council members noted the city spent more than $219,000 with the current contractor, Ready to Go, in 2024 for portable-restroom services.

Key details from the committee

- Warrant approved: Bill 16-64 authorizes a $35,025 warrant in favor of United Rentals to pay prior invoices for portable-restroom rentals and servicing across city parks. Committee gave an affirmative recommendation.

- Vendor & annual spend: Public Works said the current vendor under the active contract is Ready to Go; staff reported the city paid Ready to Go just over $219,000 in 2024 for porta‑john services (not including special-event billings processed separately).

- Permanent restrooms: Public Works said 20 permanent restroom buildings are currently supported with in-house cleaning. Many other permanent restroom buildings have been closed for a prolonged period and would require assessment, testing of plumbing and wastewater systems, repairs, ADA upgrades and ongoing maintenance if restored.

- Porta‑john deployment: The porta‑john contract is used to augment services at parks and for special events; ADA-accessible portable units are available on request but are not automatically provided for every permit.

Council members pressed for follow-up reporting and an assessment schedule. Councilman Wilson said he would like a clearer plan and asked whether the department had requested funds to assess and repair closed facilities; Director Hornstein replied the department had not yet requested assessment funds and that the first step would be a condition assessment that would itself carry a cost.

Council members and staff exchanged several practical points:

- The cost to repair and return permanent restrooms to service varies widely; Hornstein said some restorations will be "a six-figure number" and could require new maintenance staffing and annual operating funds.

- The city currently deploys more than 100 portable-restroom units to parks and locations across the city (staff estimate), with bills tracked by individual park and signed off by park foremen.

- Council members requested a report with an itemized invoice history and an estimate of annual porta‑john spending; staff said they could compile that information for the next meeting cycle.

Direct quote

"This is actually just a bookkeeping warrant that's taking up some old prior billings," Don Mudrick said of the $35,025 payment.

Ending

The committee gave an affirmative recommendation on the warrant. Public Works agreed to provide council with an itemized invoice history, an annual-spend total and a proposed assessment plan for closed permanent restrooms; Council members signaled they may request funding for inspections and repairs in the upcoming budget cycle.