Title
Chilled Drinking Fountains and Public Restrooms
Description
This report provides the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee with information on chilled drinking fountains and access to public restrooms in the downtown core.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
Ready access to chilled drinking fountains and clean, safe public restrooms are not only important pieces of urban infrastructure but also a vital part of personal and public health key to fostering livability in the urban core of cities. This is especially true for the city of Phoenix as extreme summer temperatures necessitate access to chilled water in public spaces as well as adequate public restroom access for individuals who are restroom challenged such as individuals experiencing homelessness. The information below provides an update on chilled drinking water and public restroom infrastructure in Phoenix's downtown core, which is bounded to the north and east by the I-10 highway and to the south and west by the I-17 highway.
Chilled Drinking Fountains
The Parks and Recreation Department maintains 19 traditional flatland parks and five specialty areas in the downtown core of Phoenix. Traditional parks are classified as mini, neighborhood, community and regional flatland parks. Specialty areas include linear parks, museums, basins and park properties with special use agreements. Of the 19 traditional parks, 17 (89 percent) have drinking fountains, and 15 have chilled drinking fountains (79 percent). The two parks without drinking fountains (Hu-O-Te Park and Roosevelt Park) are designated as mini parks, at less than one acre in size, include limited amenities, and have a service area radius of less than half a mile. Both of the remaining two parks with non-chilled fountains (Coffelt-Lamereaux Park and Civic Space Park) include indoor recreation facilities, and chilled water is available inside of these centers during hours of operation. As drinking fountains are replaced, or added to existing or newly developed parks, the Department ensures new fountains are chilled. Existing non-chilled drinking fountains at parks were installed prior to these standards being adopted.
For individuals experiencing homelessness in and around the Human Services Campus, unlimited access to non-chilled water is available and accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Brian Garcia Welcome Center, and at a water station located at 9th Avenue and Jackson Street next to the Respiro Shelter. Additional hydration options are available during business hours at any of the 17 Human Services Campus partner facilities.
Additionally, the Office of Innovation is currently researching public drinking water systems in a variety of cities around the world and identifying new technologies and system designs to support greater access to safe drinking water in public spaces. Staff is engaging a variety of potential partners, including Downtown Phoenix, Inc., to support two to three pilot projects in 2023.
Public Restrooms
Of the 19 traditional flatland parks in the downtown core, 13 include restrooms (68 percent). A total of six of these are standalone restroom facilities and are open to the public during posted park hours. These restrooms are unlocked each morning and locked each evening by park staff. Additionally, seven parks include restrooms that are located in recreation centers and are accessible during the centers’ hours of operation. Of the remaining six parks without restrooms, four are mini parks at less than one acre in size, one is a unique linear parkway in a residential area, and one is a neighborhood park adjacent to a City of Phoenix public housing community. The Parks and Recreation Department typically builds restrooms in larger community and regional flatland parks greater than 30 acres in size and with a service area radius of three or more miles. These larger parks often include amenities drawing a broader population for extended periods of time, such as lit programmable sports fields, lakes, skate plazas or parks, and community centers.
Restrooms are available and accessible to people experiencing homelessness twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at the Human Services Campus Brian Garcia Welcome Center and at 9th Avenue & Jackson Street. Additional restrooms are open during business hours on the Human Services Campus at the Lodestar Day Resource Center, St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall, and André House.
The City recognizes the need for safe, accessible public restrooms in areas not currently served throughout the downtown core. Staff is continuously conducting research on the use of publicly accessible, stand-alone restrooms that have been implemented in other large urban cores. One such example of these restroom options is the Portland Loo. The Portland Loo is a single-occupant freestanding public toilet that was designed in Portland, Oregon. The steel structures can be ordered and installed in public parks, or in public right of ways, to provide free and accessible use around the clock. Access to water and sewer is required. The Portland Loos are described as easy to clean and maintain, durable, require minimal utility use to run LED lighting, and designed to prevent crime with graffiti-proof walls and open grating. Portland Loos can be ordered as a base model, or with additional safety and sanitation options. Currently, the lead time for one unit is six months, with each additional unit ordered adding one additional week to the timeline. Staff is working to identify funding to pilot a Portland Loo in a highly populated area. The price range is $135,000 - $149,000 dependent on solar and sanitation options, not including installation cost.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Gina Montes and Inger Erickson and the Office of Homeless Solutions and Parks and Recreation Department.