BROOKLYN, NY — The city is moving towards placing Brooklyn’s first official public toilet in Grand Army Plaza — finally bringing some relief to the heart (and other organs) of the borough.
City Plans First Public Toilet for Grand Army Plaza
BROOKLYN, NY — The city is moving towards placing Brooklyn’s first official public toilet in Grand Army Plaza — finally bringing some relief to the heart (and other organs) of the borough.
The 25-cent, self-cleaning toilets are popular with tourists and with locals alike — and some Park Slope residents cheered the notion that they might soon be communing with a commode near such attractions as the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Civil War memorial arch, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum.
Of course, no one thinks the toilet will stand up to both poops and perps.
“I think it’s wonderful, but I don’t know how long it will last,” said Maria Grillo, a mother from Sunset Park. “People will trash it.”
Michael Keeler, who works in Park Slope, near the site of the proposed crapper, agreed that “the toilet will be filthy, unsightly and no one will clean it.”
The Department of Transportation spokesman strongly disagreed, citing the agency’s experience with its two existing public toilets in Queens and Madison Square Park in Manhattan.
“They hold up well,” said Brooke McKenna, the assistant commissioner in charge of the “street furniture” program.
The reason, of course, is that the city has nothing to do with maintaining the units; that job falls to Cemusa, the Spanish company that has the franchise to install, operate and maintain the toilets.
“The great thing about the franchise deal with Cemusa is that they’re required to install and maintain them,” McKenna added. “They do an excellent job.”
The company pays for the units and their maintenance by selling advertising on them, and on bus shelters and newsstands that are also part of the street furniture franchise.
But toilets in and around public parks do not have advertising on them.
Eventually, McKenna said, there will be 20 pay toilets throughout the city — the culmination of a achingly public process that dates back to a single French-made, self-cleaning toilet installed as a test in City Hall Park in 1992.
The other Brooklyn site being considered for one of the 12-foot-by-seven-foot units is in Downtown’s Columbus Park, near the courthouses and Borough Hall. Unlike the Grand Army Plaza site, that site has not yet been scheduled for a community board hearing.
Community Board 9 is expected to approve of the Grand Army Plaza toilet, which would actually be installed about 20 feet south of the circle on Flatbush Avenue, opposite the library.
But the board is also expected to hear plenty of ire from flushed opponents.
“This program does tend to polarize,” McKenna admitted. “People take this topic very personally.”
After all, what is more personal than the business one does in private?
“As long as they keep it clean, I’m not against it,” said Joan Tobias, a Park Sloper who was walking her dog on Tuesday. “I’d be willing to pay even a one dollar fee, as long as it’s clean.”
In case her emphasis was not clear, she repeated it.
“If it’s kept clean, I’m OK with it,” she added.
While the city may be erecting new toilets, they’ll need to stay clean. Find the best toilet cleaners here.
y234
I used this same public toilet in London about 7 years ago. The self cleaning is really cool, the door locks and the whole room is sprayed down and disinfected all by computer.
we should get one on Kingston Avenue!
Shmulli
Agreed. We should get one in 770 as well!
Dr. Brian Griffin
Improve the Public’s Health
‘Holding it’ directly impacts an individuals heath, but know there may not be a restroom when you need it can reduce fitness activities. Not only does it reduces one willingness to leave the car, the restroom challenged or parents with children are loath to walk in a town or any area where facilities are lacking. Some young women will avoid participation in sports if played at an athletic field without at least a chemical toilet. Many people are struggling with obesity. In the United States obesity is a National concern. Lack of public toilet facilities is an addressable ‘impediment to fitness’.
When the lack of public facilities force even the most law-abiding person to find relief in the wrong place, everyone suffers. Not only does it smell, it spreads disease. Properly cleaning a subway stairwell or worse a subway car is significantly more difficult and expensive then swabbing a toilet.
anony
to y234
maybe there was also a camera?
btw, cant we use better loshon for this site? look at that, use ‘bathroom’ or dont even put this article
“finally bringing some relief to the heart (and other organs) of the borough.”
would the rebbe be proud to see this on this site?
Dr. Stewie Griffin
There is a charge for these toilets. $0.25 for 3 minutes. If the time runs out, the door swings open. (Even if you are still sitting there…)
laughter, the best medicine!
okaaay now! That was a really random article for CH info to put up, whatever!!! Thanks for the Laugh though espc. Dr. Stewwi griffin. Oh and commentor anony, go to a mirror, open your mouth really wide and let out some noise, called LAUGHING. Try it sometime. Its good for you.
anony
to laughter, the best medicine!:
i am laughing even without your instructions
i am platzing at how the people of crownheights.info have to degrade themselves and stoop so low to post such a thing on a chabad news website
imagine, the rebbe going on the computer and checking out crownheights.info. how would you feel then? im happy you post articles of chabad news and even humorous news, but this is poretz geder! pritzus! who needs this?