City leaders expected to approve 24-hour restroom for downtown SA
SAN ANTONIO - Next week, San Antonio city leaders are expected to green-light a new 24-hour public restroom downtown.
Councilman Roberto Treviño and other San Antonians say the need is there.
"Sometimes we need to use the restroom bad, and we can't find one," said Roxanne Reyna, who lives on the East Side. "So we're all running around, trying to look for one."
There are some public restrooms, including one near city hall, but most close around dinnertime.
"Other parts of downtown, they don't even have restrooms," said Carl Duncan, who is homeless, "so I don't know how they (are going to) make it. They have to run into convenience stores and use their restrooms."
The new option that Treviño expects to clear city council March 10 is called the Portland Loo, a unisex one-toilet structure open around the clock.
"Inside is the actual toilet," Treviño said. "Outside, you actually wash your hands. It's as simple as that. There's nothing fancy about it. It's not self-cleaning so we will provide cleaning services twice a day."
The Portland Loo's location has yet to be determined, he said, although several parks are among the options being considered. The cost is $97,700, according to the city council agenda. If approved, the restroom would arrive in about three months.
Treviño said the "clever design" would help curb crime. "At the bottom, you can see somebody's feet. You can't see anything else."
He would like to expand the number of public restrooms downtown depending on how well the pilot project works, saying that would benefit tourists, residents and the homeless.
"I believe this will help clean up our sidewalks, our streets from this kind of issue."
