LANCASTER, Pa. — The City of Lancaster will soon open a new standalone public restroom. The facility is located along North Prince and Orange Street.
The facility is known as the "Portland Loo," after an idea to give people struggling with access to bathrooms in Portland, Oregon.
“There’s an outcry for public restrooms in the city," said David Aichele, the executive director of the Lancaster Downtown Investment District.
The facility was built using anti-graffiti walls and is fully connected to electric, water, and sewer lines. The Lancaster Downtown Investment District Clean Team will be in charge of maintaining the restroom each day.
In total, the City of Lancaster spent roughly $188,000 to purchase and install the Portland Loo.
Aichele said the facility will guarantee that people have everyday access to a clean, safe restroom in the city.
“We do have public restrooms in Ewell Plaza, but there are restricted hours and they close around 7 each night," said Aichele. "[An] unfortunate population of our city does need a facility somewhere they can rely on to use a bathroom.”
Nearby businesses say the new public restroom is a must-have for Lancaster.
Mariangela Finazzo, the co-owner of Two Cousin’s Pizza on King Street, said her restaurant gets around five or six people a day looking to use her bathroom. She believes there needs to be more public restrooms for everyone in the city to use.
“Everybody can see there are a lot of homeless people around here, and I don’t know if they have anywhere to go," said Finazzo. "We need a lot of public restrooms.”
The City of Lancaster does not have a set date for the bathroom’s opening. However, they expect it to be open within the next few weeks.