April 27, 2022

Dear All,

First - to all who joined my Mayor Zoom Meeting today - thanks for coming!
And - I'm so sorry that we got cut off a few minutes early. Our Zoom meeting was stopped suddenly when another city department signed on for a meeting started at 5pm. City staff and departments share Zoom accounts. And so...lesson learned: we can't schedule abutting meetings too close!

Second - the reason for this on-the-heels-of-my-recent-"checking in email" - is that I think you're going to want to know about this opportunity to learn more and weigh in on planning for public bathrooms. 

Taken from a press release sent today:

The City of Portland, Portland Downtown, and the Portland Society of Architecture are hosting a forum to present and gain public feedback on the proposed locations for three new public restrooms in downtown Portland. The forum will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, May 4 at 5:30PM. Registration is available here.

The forum will be an opportunity for businesses and residents to learn about the City’s proposed plan, ask questions, and provide feedback. The forum will be recorded and made available for viewing shortly after the event. Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing [email protected] and using the subject line: Public Restroom Forum.

“We know that the lack of public restroom facilities has been a particular challenge for residents, local businesses, and visitors,” said Danielle West, Portland’s Interim City Manager. “We look forward to presenting our plans and learning what members of our community think about our proposal.”

“We’re happy to be hosting this forum in partnership with the City. We recognize that access to public restrooms is an integral part of the public realm and essential to the health and livability of a city. We look forward to facilitating this important conversation among all sectors of our community,” said Cary Tyson, Executive Director of Portland Downtown.

"The Portland Society for Architecture (PSA), in partnership with Portland Downtown, is looking forward to this dialogue hosted by the City of Portland on public facilities throughout the city. Portland is a world-class destination, a top-10 city to live in, and a place confronting its limits on equitable resources for all. This is the beginning of an ongoing conversation that we're excited to be a part of," said Addy-Smith Reiman, Executive Director, Portland Society for Architecture. 

The proposed facility locations are on Monument Way, at the entrance to the Portland Fish Pier, and at the back side of Central Fire Station (corner of Federal & Market streets). The City hopes to install the facilities by July 1, 2022. City staff will also present their plan to the  City Council’s Housing & Economic Development Committee on May 17, and communicate their final plan to the City Council on June 6.

As always - thanks for your engagement in Portland's decision making processes, 

Kate Snyder