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Pittsburgh City Council

Portable Restroom Back Payment Sparks Inquiries into the Prevalence of Closed Public Restrooms in City Parks.

Written by Amy Whipple

  • A bill covering $35k in expenses for portable bathrooms led to a discussion about the number of broken permanent public restrooms in the city’s parks.
  • Director Hornstein of the Department of Public Works did not have an exact count of closed public restrooms to share with Council.
  • There are 20 open public restrooms in city parks.
  • To restore inoperable restrooms, Director Hornstein stated that public approval and tax funding would be needed for:
  • An assessment of which restrooms are closed and what repairs and maintenance are required.
  • The actual repairs and maintenance, which will likely be significant given how long some have been closed.
  • A program to maintain the restrooms once they are reopened.
  • The city spent $219,000 on portable restrooms in parks that lack functioning permanent public restrooms.
  • Council members agreed that there should be a plan to begin addressing this long-standing issue.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Parks & Public Space
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · March 25, 2025

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