PORTLAND, Maine — Portland Downtown, an organization that advocates for the city's businesses, is asking for pandemic-relief cash to bring more permanent public restrooms to the area.
The city is working to divvy up $46.3 million it received from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act. Anyone who lives in Portland can weigh in on how that money should be used by taking a survey on the city's website.
Portland Downtown asks anyone who'd like to see more permanent public bathrooms to fill out the survey, and select the "other" category to advocate for public restroom usage.
"What we are thinking about is a toilet called Portland Loo. It is popularized in Portland, Oregon," Cary Tyson, executive director of Portland Downtown, said. "It is a pretty affordable solution, it is very clean, easy to clean, easy to sanitize, and easy to maintain. That is a big challenge with public restrooms, of course."
City councilors are expected to discuss the American Relief Plan funding during a workshop on Monday night.