July 02, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Toilets in parks a rare commodity

by Jocelyn Dong

When Little League Vice President David Goldman prepared Hoover Park for an all-star tournament last week, there was one thing he didn't have to rent this year that he had to two years ago -- portable toilets.

He was, one might say, relieved.

Thanks to a donation by the Peery/Arrillaga Foundation in 2002, Hoover now boasts a small, tidy and permanent restroom.

It wasn't the cost of the portables so much as the unsightliness that had been a problem, and the difficulty of placing them inconspicuously so as not to attract attention or bother the park's neighbors, Goldman said.

Still, it was better than having the coaches send kids to nearby businesses -- or the bushes.

But Hoover is one of only two neighborhood parks equipped with restrooms -- a growing problem for the city. In the past few years, an explosion of organized sports has maxed out the city's designated practice fields and spilled over into neighborhood spaces not built for the heavy use.

The situation has put pressure on a resource shared by competing interests -- neighbors who value their formerly tranquil neighborhood parks and athletes and others who have nowhere else to go. The lack of public toilets is but one prime example of the strain.

Neighborhood parks, defined as being smaller than 6 acres, were not intended to have restrooms. Built as amenities to the neighborhoods in which they were located, it was assumed that people using them would trot home should the need arise. District parks, such as Mitchell Park and Rinconada, are larger and many are equipped with lavatories.

The city has 20 neighborhood parks, and the idea of putting restrooms in them has been marked with periodic controversy.

Richard James, director of Community Services, recalled the tug-of-war over restrooms that took place when Downtown North's Johnson Park was constructed in 1985.

"Soon after it was built, there was a decision to put a restroom there. (But) neighbors complained bitterly because it attracted the homeless," James said. So it was removed.

Then a couple years went by, and a new set of neighbors requested a restroom. It was reinstalled, only to have another set of neighbors protest, James said. It was finally removed, and no new requests have been made.

More recently, the topic of restrooms surfaced during discussions between the city and neighbors of Juana Briones Park in Barron Park.

Toilets were discussed "at length. This is a very difficult issue," wrote Kate Rooney, project manager with the Community Services Department, in a summary of the meeting.

Neighbors whose property borders the park don't want a restroom placed near their fences. Other neighbors say a facility would be helpful, recalling times that desperate park visitors have asked to use the bathrooms in their homes.

Steve Marsheck is one Palo Alto father who brings his three children, ages 7, 5 and 1 years, to city parks throughout the week, sometimes multiple times a day. They don't just stick to their neighborhood park; the kids like variety, Marsheck said.

The lack of lavatories doesn't deter the family from going to a park, but it does influence when they leave.

"With little kids, when they gotta go, they gotta go," Marsheck said, hoisting his youngest into his arms.

Having a restroom available "makes a big difference," he said.

Putting new facilities in is not as simple as recognizing or documenting a need, however. According to Palo Alto policy, the city won't consider adding a lavatory to a neighborhood park unless more than half of the neighbors living within 300 feet request it, as they did in the case of Hoover Park.

And even should the call for a restroom come in, the city would be hard pressed to fulfill it. The city's Parks and Recreation Department is not exactly flush with money right now, James said.

A basic restroom costs $75,000; one with more than one stall per gender would put the city out $125,000. He said additional restrooms will have to be sponsored by private funders, as the Hoover facility was.

A new nonprofit, Friends of the Palo Alto Parks, may help. Roger Smith, founder of the group, said he was open to the idea of contributing funds if neighbors were willing to raise money as well.

"Bathrooms are pretty essential," Smith said. "My hope over time is there would be more bathrooms, and we as a community would help police the bathroom."

For those wrinkling their noses over the concrete and smelly bunkers of the past, James said that bathrooms have evolved over the years. Modern facilities, many of which are prefabricated, feature stainless-steel commodes, graffiti-proof walls and plenty of air circulation.

They cost more upfront, but are worth it in the long run, James said.

With the restroom stalemate continuing, Little League's Goldman -- who also is the chairman of Got Space?, a group advocating for more playing fields in Palo Alto -- is trying to make the best of things. He schedules teams with younger children in parks with bathrooms -- so they can answer when nature calls. Senior staff writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.

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