The Ballard Partnership For Smart Growth (BPSG) and the Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) Public Space Program asked for public feedback last February in order to identify a preferred location and design for a permanent public restroom in Central Ballard.

Comments are still being accepted, and as the community responds, the Ballard News-Tribune checked in with Mike Stewart, Executive Director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce.

Stewart said that the BPSM and the City are depending on the public to voice where the public restroom will reside and what it will be. At this time there is no preference for the restroom location. Also, Stewart said the bigger picture for the toilet is really a matter of maintenance.

“First we need to ensure there is good consensus in the community and then there’s work to be done with the City of Seattle in acquiring finances. Then a maintenance plan needs to be made. That’s a really crucial point to the project,” said Stewart.

“There needs to be a public space that is safe and clean for everyone — from shoppers and visitors to a place where parents can feel comfortable taking their kids. It really has to be maintained and held to very high standards.”

The City of Seattle started preliminary work on the project back in September after the BPSG applied for a grant to build a permanent public loo at Ballard Commons Park. The application was spurred by contention over a honey bucket being placed in the park. A public survey revealed Ballardites thought the portable toilet was an eyesore and a beacon for drug users and vagrants. However, there were some that argued that if there were no honey bucket, “any bush” would be used as a toilet. Clearly, the park and Ballard needed a clean, safe solution.

Instead of approving the grant, the City decided to take a more comprehensive strategy to building a public restroom in Ballard, evaluating location and infrastructure feasibility based on utilities already in place.

From the analysis, four potential locations and two restroom styles have been identified, and now the public has been asked to weigh in via survey. The survey was launched in mid February, and project officials are waiting a few weeks for up to 500 responses from the public.

The styles for the project include a public loo modeled after a public toilet in Portland. The loo is designed for individual use and low maintenance. There is also the comfort station style on the table, which is similar to common rest facilities in well-established Seattle Parks. They are designed for multi-person use but require more maintenance.

The Clean/Health/Safe Working Group, a subgroup of the BPSG, will make initial recommendations to the BSPG Leadership Group in late March of this year based on feedback from the public. In April, the BSPG Leadership Group will determine the public restroom location and design type.

Community members are encouraged to make their recommendations at the project website: http://www.ballardrestroomstudy.com.