KALAMAZOO, Mich. — In downtown Kalamazoo, there’s soon to be an additional public restroom. There's already one bathroom for the public near Water and the Kalamazoo Mall, on Water Street headed toward Edwards.
The new addition will be a Portland Loo, a public restroom designed to be robust enough for urban environments and available 24/7.
"Kalamazoo, like many cities, is a place that folks are in and around 24/7. There's not always businesses open. There's not always a restroom that's available for folks all hours of the day and night," James Baker, the Public Services Director for the City of Kalamazoo said.
The Kalamazoo City Commission voted on June 2 to allocate funds from $600,000 set aside for the installation of the new restrooms in the downtown area.
Local business owner Jill Nance from the Mason Jar Plant shop expressed her support for the new amenity.
"I think it's a great resource. People always ask to use our bathroom, and as someone who needs a bathroom, I think being able to say, oh, there's a portable one, there's a public one right here. That way I don't have to feel bad about saying no," Nance said.
While the new Portland Loo won't be ready for several months, approximately 37 weeks, additional portable restrooms will be available in the meantime at locations including Burdick Street, Bronson Park, and MLK Park through November.
As for the exact location of the new restroom, Baker noted that decision is still in progress.
"We still don't know where it's going to be. That's part of the work we've got to do yet," Baker said.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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