Downtown Bellingham will gain two new public restrooms after the Bellingham City Council voted on Monday to amend the 2023-2024 budget to fund the project.
The portable, stand-alone, outdoor bathrooms will be purchased from The Portland Loo, which designs restrooms to address common issues. The company claims its toilets discourage crime with graffiti-proof paneling and open grating that makes it possible to see how many people are inside.
According to a City of Bellingham budget modification request, the cost of the toilet installation project is estimated to be about $650,000. The request also states that downtown Bellingham’s current public bathrooms are difficult to manage and maintain, and these toilets will address those challenges.
The exact locations for the toilets has yet to be decided, said Public Works Director Eric Johnston, but they will be in the downtown core.
Johnston said the toilets will take six months to a year to arrive once ordered.
In the meantime, the city council also voted to expand service hours at the Commercial Street Garage at 1300 Commercial St., to increase the accessibility of public restrooms until the new toilets are installed.
Johnston said he plans for the restrooms at the parking garage to be accessible from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
