Benjamin Pezzillo on April 17, 2007, at 08:13PM – #1

Nothing beats boots-on-the-ground, see-it-with-your-own-eyes reporting.

Dare I say the Beat is without a finger-on-pulse of this topic?

Ginny on April 17, 2007, at 09:43PM – #2

I think I might submit a vacation request at work, and camp out until the damn thing is opened.

I think I havee two weeks of leave saved up.

jackie goldberg on April 18, 2007, at 10:08AM – #4

bird noise?

Juanito Talks on April 18, 2007, at 01:43PM – #6

 Isn't it interesting that way back, they could design an updated Pershing Square from a "defensive" planning approach, one which included the walls along the Hill Street frontage (facing east) which essentially say 'stay the hell out' plus the decomposed granite paved pissoir surrounding all of the statues and the cannon and the problems of old returned. Twelve million dollars down the drain. And that was acceptable, fashionable group think. 
Now, we have a 'virtual' toilet! Someone (very high up) has got things under control in Pershing Square. Likely this is the same person who has been in control since day one, way back before the expenditure of said twelve million bucks, who exerted the MOST control and prevented any public review or input to the urban design disaster known as Pershing Square.

jackie goldberg on April 18, 2007, at 05:11PM – #7

thanks for the pigeon explanation. still, fake nature noise seems incredibly un-modern.

HSOSA on April 18, 2007, at 11:15PM – #8

Is it ever going to be used. 6months is ridicoulous. no spell check. I walk by it often. I wonder if its going to have lines. The newspaper guy is going to smell like crap when goes home from work. Two million for 4 toilets. 250K Gizzles.a piece. for crap? Summer ? for 250K at least have a enclosed LCD TV inside and out. Maybe a valet? instead the stupid bird noise. Music.

Deborah Zaricor on April 19, 2007, at 06:22PM – #9

I am just worried about what will be going on in that toilet after it is open.

Benjamin Pezzillo on April 19, 2007, at 08:57PM – #10

"I am just worried about what will be going on in that toilet after it is open."

Nothing which does not already go on in the toilets of the hotels and businesses Downtown or the port-a-potties in Skid Row.

Many of the building and hotel security near Pershing Square have stories of drug addicts discovered using their stalls and, in some instances, fatal overdoses. I heard one merchant explain things got so bad at one of their locations, not in Downtown, they removed the doors from their stalls.

As I understand it, the Automatic Public Toilets have design mechanisms, such as timers, to inhibit nefarious use. It will certainly be interesting to see them demonstrated and I have no doubt when they are put into use there will be plenty of media coverage to answer these curiosities.

Ginny-Marie Case on April 19, 2007, at 09:14PM – #11

Hey, if I can sleep through half the stuff I hear in my sleep...I can sleep up the street.

People sleep all the time outside in our neighborhood. The callous person in me says - What the heck...one more person sleeping on the sidewalk can't hurt anything.

Dennis on April 20, 2007, at 04:07PM – #12

I agree with Ginny - let's stage a Potty-In and camp out until it works. I have a couple weeks of vacation saved up - whaddaya say?

Nirad on April 23, 2007, at 11:12AM – #13

it would be nice if every corner in downtown didn't smell like pee.

why don't they find a place to put a trough for homeless men to pee? it's very common in Europe, ~1/100 the price, and would take care of 90% of the problem.

Whitman Lam on April 23, 2007, at 11:48AM – #14

Maybe the Downtown BID can buy a giant Cat litter box and put it near Pershing Square. Modern cat litters are very clean and hygienic, and only need changing once a month.

Ginny-Marie Case on April 23, 2007, at 09:39PM – #15

I have an idea...I posted it on my website...ginnycase.com

Dennis Smith on April 25, 2007, at 11:56AM – #16

For the last hour or so, two technicians have been hard at work on the APT at 5th and Hill. I went down to investigate and found the gentlemen who operate the adjacent news stand grilling one of the guys with questions. According to the tech, they are contracted to put a number of additional APTs "in the ground" over the coming months. As for ACTIVATING the toilets, the tech claimed it was up to Jan Perry's office to then sign off on the final work order to put the APT into operation. The tech claimed that otherwise "their hands were tied" .

Ginny, I'll be glad to wear that sign that reads "How many city departments does it take to turn on a toilet ?"

raymond Lee on April 25, 2007, at 02:58PM – #17

what's up with pershing square? i mean i just saw old photos of the park that used to be there -- you know the one with all the grass and trees. and i thought, "what was wrong with THAT?" does anyone else think that putting in several hundred tons of vertical and horizontal concrete, then painting it weird colors was NOT an improvement over what was once there?

hsosa on April 25, 2007, at 11:29PM – #18

Ive seen the old pics and yeah. damm 80s yuppies. must have been the cocaine. what s with Jan Perry? too bad we cant get her to be the first one to use the APT. Can we get a petition going or something. That would be great. Public officials hard at work. she has to go number 2.

Dennis Smith on May 03, 2007, at 08:28AM – #19

I don't know whether this should go under "Toilet Watch" or "The Times Are A little Behind" but I'm glad to see that the Times acknowledges your expertise on issues pertaining to Downtown in general and the APT situation in particular. Perhaps I'm being a bit optimistic, but I do hope the attention garnered by this article will stir things up enough with all parties implicated to FINALLY get all the installed APTs to begin functioning.