Seattle takes another shot at public toilets

It looks like it’s finally going to happen.

Seattle is going to get a stand-alone public toilet in Pioneer Square. Exactly one.

It’s being imported from Portland. The current city budget includes $230,000 for what is called the “Portland Loo,” which fixes some of the problems with the city’s earlier attempts at public toilets. They became pit stops for addicts and prostitutes.

Related: A brief history of public restrooms in Seattle

For one thing, the “Loo” has louvers at the top and the bottom, not just for ventilation, but so that you can see how many people are inside and hear any unusual noises.

The sink is on the outside so that people can’t easily use it for bathing. It has a concrete floor and a back door, so that it can easily be pressure-washed.

As for why we’d want to try this again when the previous toilets were such a spectacular failure?

Because, according to The Seattle Times, for the first four months of the year, there were about 3,500 calls for waste cleanup just in the Pioneer Square area alone. That is absolutely disgusting.

The toilets are trying to instill this happy-go-lucky feel. When they installed one in Cincinnati’s Smale Park, they released a little jingle. Their loo is premiering in three weeks and it sounds like a fun time.

If it works, the city could install more toilets in Ballard, the U-District, and Rainier Beach.