Seattle Scrapping Toilets for Homeless - Update II

From today's NYT:

Seattle officials say the project here failed because the toilets, which are to close on Aug. 1, were placed in neighborhoods that already had many drug users and transients.

Then there was the matter of cost: $1 million apiece over five years, which because of a local ordinance had to be borne entirely by taxpayers instead of advertisers.

Although automatic toilets have worked in other cities, they are not feasible for Seattle. [From Watchman: Toilets for sale on eBay.]


[Update 7/27/08]

The eBay auction of the Seattle toilets closed yesterday afternoon. Nobody bothered to submit a bid.


[Update 8/16/08]

Seattle's toilets finally sold for a total of about $10,000. Hey, $6.6 million to $10K -- helluva return on investment.


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[Previous 05/08 post bumped]
(Seattle, WA) Since they have become hideouts for druggies and hookers, the Seattle City Council has decided to remove all five high-tech toilets.

Opponents in 2001 said people would use the toilet stalls to conceal illicit behavior, a prediction that came true. The toilets' tech wizardry failed as well. Trash clogged the self-cleaning mechanism, so workers had to clean the stalls.

The Downtown Seattle Association observed more, rather than less, human waste on the streets after the restrooms opened.

It is troubling that the combined brain trusts in the City Council could not see that the idea was crappy at the outset. Seattle taxpayers would have saved millions of dollars.

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Seattle Provides High-Tech Toilets for Homeless
[Previous 09/04/07 post]
(Seattle, Washington) In 2004, the city fathers of Seattle signed a $6.6 million contract for five high-tech toilet systems for the homeless in city parks. The deal was for 10 years with the city paying $360 per day per toilet for upkeep by the maintenance company, Northwest Cascade.

After three years, however, some Seattle officials are having second thoughts about the toilets. Breakdowns occur frequently and the toilets have become havens for crime with over 3,000 incidents reported within the last year encompassing everything from narcotics to prostitution to weapons.

Next spring, the city council will revisit the issue and decide whether to continue the contract. Nixing the deal would cost the city $570,170 to buy out of the contract and $250,000 to remove the five facilities.

Opposing the idea of removing the toilets are the homeless advocates. In fact, more help for the homeless is sought. According to Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition for the Homeless:

"We need resources like hygiene centers ... basic resources for sanitation and dignity," she said. "I would say the homeless need more than just a safe, clean place to pee."

On the other hand, homeless Luigi Gephart calls the toilet a "revolving crack house" and Dafe Chen of the New Century Tea Gallery says he "frequently sees human waste on the park benches -- despite the public toilet just yards away." Anita Woo of the Downtown Seattle Association remarked that reports of human loaves in the streets and alleys have increased since the toilets were installed.

Since Seattle is populated with a very liberal electorate, I anticipate that the toilets will remain after the city council meets. Note that Seattle has been ranked as one of the ten best cities in which to be homeless and, despite the latest difficulties, it will continue to be a popular destination for vagrants.

Also: The Jawa Report