Strings Attached to CB2's Potty Vote
Park Slopers may not mind having a shiny new self-cleaning toilet plunked down in the middle of one of their most prominent public spaces, but some Brooklyn Heights residents are seeing brown over the idea. At a meeting Monday night, Community Board 2’s Parks & Rec Committee voted 5 to 2 in favor permitting one…
Park Slopers may not mind having a shiny new self-cleaning toilet plunked down in the middle of one of their most prominent public spaces, but some Brooklyn Heights residents are seeing brown over the idea. At a meeting Monday night, Community Board 2’s Parks & Rec Committee voted 5 to 2 in favor permitting one of the pay toilets somewhere in the vicinity of Borough Hall and 360 Adams Street but went out of their way to voice opposition to the Department of Transportation’s specific plan to place the potty in the public plaza called Columbus Park just north of Montague Street. “This is hideous,” said committee member Nancy Wolf. How will the Greenmarket people feel about having to put out their vegetables near where people are going to the bathroom?
Update: A Toilet in the Park? [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
CB2 Says This Can Is A Can’t [Brooklyn Paper]
Photo by cybertaz689
Will, you are an (hilarious) animal. Would somebody please change his cedar chips?
I’m sitting on my couch right now which is steps from where I go to the bathroom, which is also steps from my kitchen where I prepare all my food! And steps from my front door and a public hallway! It’s shocking!!
Ringo – more or less correct and amazingly for NY – it looks like the timing was perfect – since you can bet the ad space is worth alot less today than when the deal was signed.
I’m only thick headed because we’ve spent a TON on this in the past.
But I get it now. They’re in the business of selling ad space. We used to sell the ad space and now we’ve outsourced it, right? I get it. I think.
The one at City Hall was great. It’s a shame they’re
not all around the city.
Here’s the press release from the mayor’s office.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 442-06
December 19, 2006
MAYOR BLOOMBERG UNVEILS FIRST NEW BUS SHELTER AS PART OF
COORDINATED STREET-FURNITURE FRANCHISE
$1.4 Billion in New Revenue for the City
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today unveiled the first of 3,300 new bus shelters to be installed under the City’s Coordinated Street Furniture Franchise. The 20-year contract with Cemusa, Inc., will also furnish 20 new public toilets, replace 330 newsstands and generate roughly $1.4 billion in new revenue for New York over its lifetime. Cemusa installed the new bus shelter on Queens Boulevard at 82nd Avenue. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding Dan Doctoroff, Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz and Cemusa CEO Toulla Constantinou also attended the announcement.
Ringo – I’ll try one last time (mainly b/c I can not imagine how anyone could be so thick headed to not see the benefit of all this)
– the city is not paying one dime for the toilets maintenance or upkeep – Cemusa is and the entire franchise is estimated to bring in 1B in fees – the ad revenue is in addition
– Columbus Park – is not a park at all, its a plaza (at best)
– Public restrooms are an AMENITY (which virtually every other world class city has)
Here is a decent history:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/a-pay-toilet-opens-no-need-to-hold-everything/
I googled the Herald Square toilet since you mentioned it.
I read your link. I get it now. The billion dollars will come from advertising space on bus shelters, etc. Those aren’t new dollars. The city makes money on bus shelters, newstands etc now. Sounds like we’re buying a bunch of new things to make the same money as before. Okay. We need new bus shelters I’m sure. But I doubt the toilets throw off enough revenue to cover their cost and operational expenses. And plus, more ads in city parks? Is this all good? For a toilet people can sit in for 15 minutes? I’m still not sold.
Try googling Cemusa – thats the franchisee – I do not beleive the Herald Sq toilet is part of that – but it is of similar design to what the city contract calls for (self-cleaning pay toilet)
Also see –
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2008/pr08_002.shtml
Frankly given how many administrations failed at this – this should be recognized as one of Bloombergs greatest accomplishments – figures the NIMBYS are against it.
wait — they’re making a billion dollars on this?
I remember the herald sq debate. let me google… this from ny times, “The toilet in Herald Square, and its twin three blocks away in Greeley Square, cost the 34th Street Partnership a total of $587,000 to design and install, and $52,000 a year to maintain.” 8/2003
but if we’re making a billion dollars, I’m all for it.