DWP Still the Hold Up in Downtown Toilet

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, April 09, 2008, at 11:26AM

Eric Richardson [Flickr]

A $250,000 Automated Public Toilet sits awaiting connection at 4th and Hill.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The Automated Public Toilet (APT) at 4th and Hill has been ready to go for nearly three months, but remains out of service waiting for the city’s Department of Water & Power (DWP) to come turn on the juice.

Lance Oishi manages the APTs for the city’s Bureau of Street Services. In January, Oishi was happy to report that the 4th and Hill unit had passed inspections and was now just waiting for DWP to flip the switch. Yesterday, I asked Oishi what had happened. “We’re still at that same point,” he said.

This isn’t the first time Oishi’s been less than pleased with DWP’s cooperation on the APT effort. Last April at a DLANC meeting Oishi expressed his frustration with the department. “We’re at the point where the gloves are going to come off,” he told those at the meeting. The APT at 5th and Hill was activated the next month, roughly seven months after it had been installed onto its concrete foundation.

Preparation work for the 4th and Hill unit was started last April, and the APT was placed in ground over the summer.

The APTs are part of the city’s street furniture contract with CBS/Decaux. The contract gives CBS/Decaux the right to install advertising on bus shelters and other street installations in exchange for the provision of standardized furniture.

Eric Richardson

The marks of various street cuts show how much work it took to even make the toilet's necessary utility connections.

This story belongs to the following topics:

Topic:
Toilet Watch

17 stories

4th and Hill Toilet Still Inching Toward Service
June 03, 2008
DWP Still the Hold Up in Downtown Toilet
April 09, 2008
NYC Gets Into APT Game; Downtown Slowly Adding Its Own Units
January 11, 2008

Comments

streetwalker writes:

At least they got it there and eventually it will be turned on. I have lived in downtown for 10 years and for the first time today at 6:30 am I saw a line outside one of these restrooms over on 6th. I have many times seen the insides of these completely trashed with paper and typical downtown crap. Then no one uses it. What does this mean? There needs to be a frequent upkeep/inspection ( like every two hours) and then people will not be scared to uses them. Thank god something may work. Right now downtown is so nasty that between the bus noise–SQUEEL!!! and the piss smell, I am not sure I can take it anymore.

# on Apr.10.2008 AT 08:14 AM

CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ writes:

Almost anyone knows that trying to find a bathroom Downtown, for anyone, has been a real challenge. The bathroom signs “for customers only” dots the Downtown landscape…and they mean it. Here’s for more public bathrooms…soon!

Christian Martinez, Publisher, http://downtownlalife.com

# on Apr.10.2008 AT 09:52 AM

Ginny-Marie Case writes:

I see people waiting in lines all the time at 5th and Hill. It’s actually my favorite toilet in Los Angeles. My second favorite toilet in Los Angeles is the middle stall, on the 2nd floor at Nordstroms. My third favorite toilet is the first stall on the right at the Los Angeles Theater. My fourth favorite is at the Chinese Theater, third one on the left. My fifth favorite - would have to be my own toilet at home. I’m not home very often, so maybe I don’t get to truly enjoy my bathroom as much as I should.

# on Apr.11.2008 AT 11:06 AM