03-19-2004, 12:51 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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SELF-CLEANING RESTROOMS
Here ya go:
Seattle now has 5 self-cleaning restrooms for the public at no charge, although they costed millions of dollars.
http://www.cityofseattle.net/council...D=4148&Dept=28
Quote:
DRAGO, LICATA, CONLIN WELCOME AUTOMATED RESTROOMS
Five self-cleaning facilities will help tourism, keep locals relieved
SEATTLE – Seattle marked the debut of its long-anticipated automated toilet facilities today, with grand openings in Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill. On hand to provide the “first flush” in Pioneer Square, Seattle City Council President Jan Drago said the facilities would “make Seattle a more hospitable place for all people to live, work, shop and visit.”
The automated public toilets were first conceived in the late 1980s after several downtown business and service organizations cited the lack of public restroom facilities as the number one issue facing Seattle’s downtown. Drago, who was a downtown business owner before being elected to the Council in 1993, said that City officials intended to meet that demand for restrooms, but could never agree how to pay for it, especially since companies who supplied the toilets wanted advertisements on the outside of the facilities as well as in bus shelters throughout the city.
In 2001, the Council finally approved a plan for five automated toilets to be installed throughout the greater downtown area by using sewer fees to pay the maintenance contracts. The bill was vetoed by then-Mayor Paul Schell, but the Council overrode that veto in the interest of moving forward with providing the public toilets.
“These facilities are self-cleaning, safe, well situated throughout the City and are free for anyone to use,” said Councilmember Nick Licata, who attended the grand opening. “They will be beneficial to local businesses because tourists, shoppers, residents and the homeless are equally accommodated.”
Councilmember Richard Conlin attended the grand opening of the automated facility in Capitol Hill.
The five automated public toilet locations are:
· Occidental Park in Pioneer Square
· Hing Hay Park in the International District
· Victor Steinbrueck Park at the Pike Place Market
· Waterfront Park at Pier 59
· 1800 block of Broadway on Capitol Hill
The facilities are wheelchair accessible and include a toilet, trash disposal container and hand-washing facilities. The toilet seat and the floor are automatically cleaned after each use. The maintenance contractor will check each unit twice a day and provide additional cleaning if necessary. There are sensors that detect whether someone is in the unit and the cleaning features will not work if someone is inside. The doors are programmed to open automatically if someone is in the unit for 15 minutes, with a recorded message warning that the doors are about to open. In case of a medical or police emergency, users can alert 911 from inside.
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