The house at Pooh Corner
Pooh (not Winnie) dominated much of the conversation in the final third of Monday’s Penticton City Council meeting. Sorry, we couldn’t resist. The hot button issue was indeed port-a-johns in the downtown core, the crowning touch to a $4-million revitalization project.
The most common complaint from visitors to the Penticton Farmers Market and Downtown Community Market is the lack of washroom availability.
At present, there is $67,000 in the City’s budget for portable washrooms.
It’s easy to say “pee before you leave the house” but tourists assume there are facilities available. They are also unfamiliar with the area. Other washroom issues include what to do in the case of an emergency or if you have kids.
City staff presented council with eight models ranging in price from $6,500 (for the basic john) to $144,000 for the Cadillac of outdoor toilets. The Downtown Revitalization sub-committee favoured a $67,000 model by an American company.
The only problem with “The Romtec” is Penticton would be the first. The company has yet to install an outdoor port-a-john.
Council is now asking local companies for RFPs (request for proposals).
One thing all of the eight options had in common was they were ugly. Port-a-johns are not a pretty to look at.
They also stink. (Perhaps the $144,000 model offers a special feature.) Homeless and druggies also utilize them. So what’s the solution? The cheapest and easiest solution is for downtown businesses to make their washrooms available. Some already do.
It’s a nice goodwill gesture, it introduces customers to the store and, in a few cases, people who use the facilities often feel obligated to buy something.
The more expensive solution — and perhaps the most logical — is for Penticton’s tourism centre to locate in the 200 block of Main Street and have washrooms available. The space once used by Tim Hortons has sat empty for several years now. That would be a perfect location for a smaller tourism office.
We agree with Campbell Watt and Max Picton. This is the final piece of the puzzle for the downtown revite. Thoughtful consideration is needed. If washrooms are not done properly it will be devastating to the overall project.
“Crappy” would be a more appropraite word.
Merchants should allow people use of washroom