Toilet Watch: Blame DWP

By Eric Richardson
Published: Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 12:11PM

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Toilet Watch As I mentioned yesterday, Lance Oishi of Street Services attended a DLANC meeting last night to come talk about the street furniture program and specifically the APTs. He provided some fascinating insight into what’s been going on and what’s been dragging this process out. A basic summary: DWP is trouble.

Lance was extremely straight-forward about the frustration he experiences trying to work with DWP on this and other projects. Where you’d expect City agencies to cooperate with each other, it certainly sounds like DWP sits in its own little fiefdom. Diplomatic approaches haven’t changed that, and Lance said he’s had about enough of it.

We’re at the point where the gloves are going to come off.

Much more after the jump…

The latest snafu holding up the Pershing Square installation came when DWP rejected an inspection letter from the City’s Bureau of Contract Administration. Though the letter was exactly the same as the ones sent for the three active APTs, DWP rejected it, saying it didn’t properly state that the installation met all electrical standards.

The City wants to have 15 APTs operational City-wide within the next 12 - 18 months. To do so obviously something in this process is going to have to change.

Also in Pershing Square news, there is to be a second APT on the park side of 5th/Hill. Dennis Smith first noted this in the comments a week ago.

And finally, some interesting toilet stats. As these are high tech machines, the City gets some high tech info on them. The APT at the NoHo station is the most used of the three existing installations, with around 230 daily uses. The installation at 5th & San Julian is second with 150 - 160 uses. A roving maintenance team visits each APT twice per day to make sure things are up to standards and to refill the disinfectant, toilet paper, etc.

All Toilet Watch coverage:

05/03/07 – Times Gives APTs Some Ink
04/26/07 – Blame DWP
04/25/07 – Come Ask Street Services about APTs
04/19/07 – Move On to the Next One
04/17/07 – Twenty Five Weeks and Counting
03/26/07 – Three More Weeks; APT Still Not Open
03/07/07 – Still Holding
01/22/07 – Still Waiting on Pershing Square APT
11/22/06 – Friends of the Sewer Welcome Toilets to Skid Row

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

Benjamin Pezzillo writes:

This is the understatement of the year:

“DWP sits in its own little fiefdom”

# on Apr.26.2007 AT 12:18 PM

Ed Fuentes writes:

In the “Still Waiting on Pershing Square APT” comments, I mentioned to look at the small meter on the side…that may be holding up the APTs. Everything has been completed except for the DWP items.

# on Apr.26.2007 AT 05:31 PM

Don Garza writes:

I got this same exact news from Jeff Catalano of Jan Perry’s office a couple of weeks ago. It seems it was DWP that dropped the ball. I am also working on this issue at that level since I am chair of the Friends of the Sewer ad hoc committee and have been working on this issue with the council office when nick pacheco was still a city council man. The longer the DWP holds up the toilets the longer it will take for Jeff Catalano and the DWP to get their award.

I will speak with Jeff Catalano again and the DWP this week actually I will be at City Hall Tomorrow so I will speak with them there.

Thanks Eric for keeping us all updated. Be sure to work with Jeff Catalano from Jan Perry’s office since it is he that actually worked to get the toilets put in ,And ,I might add ,where they asked me where I wanted them to go. Long before the Transportation committee got involved.

# on Apr.26.2007 AT 11:50 PM

JohnnyPemberton writes:

i went to broadway fiesta this past weekend and checked out the toilet on my walk back home. First off I feel stupid cuz I didn’t know it was a pay toilet - i left some earlier comments about that toilet that didn’t reflect that.

second, the coin accepting mechanism on the toilet has been brutally banged up. It appears there have been several late night crowbar attempts to get some coinage out of the never-working toilet box. Though banged up, still looks like it would function given the opportunity.

# on May.02.2007 AT 11:10 AM

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