Residents who spoke during the first public meeting on Bangor’s public bathroom proposal were resistant to the idea of installing bathrooms in five neighborhood parks, as they fear the resource will draw unwanted behavior.
Most of the roughly 20 residents who attended the meeting on Wednesday worried the bathrooms would draw vandalism and misuse, or people would use them as a place to inject drugs and leave used syringes in areas where children play. Other attendees questioned why neighborhood parks need public restrooms when Bangor’s downtown and waterfront often draw more people for longer periods of time.
“I don’t see why neighborhood parks need bathrooms.” said Adele St. Pierre, who lives next to Fairmount Park. “Ninety percent of the time, kids walk or ride their bikes to the park and if they have to go to the bathroom, they go home.”
The city has proposed putting a single-stall bathroom that’s open 24/7 on Broad Street and in five parks: Hayford Park, Chapin Park, Coe Park, Fairmount Park and Broadway Park, though the locations aren’t final. The proposal was drafted to quell long-standing complaints by residents and visitors that there aren’t enough public bathrooms available, according to a statement from the city.
In a 2021 parks and recreation study, residents also said a lack of restrooms was one thing that caused families to leave parks sooner than intended, said Tracy Willette, Bangor’s parks and recreation director.
Having available, clearly marked and accessible restrooms is important for all Bangor residents and visitors, but is especially pressing for the city’s homeless population. Without ample restrooms, especially those that are open beyond standard business hours, people are forced to ask local businesses to use their facilities or relieve themselves outside.
“Part of this effort is based on the understanding that having available public bathrooms is more than just a convenience for people, it’s also a matter of public health,” the city wrote in a statement last week. “People can’t spend an extended amount of time using a downtown or city amenity without available public bathrooms.”
Doug Dunbar, leader of Penobscot County Cares, an advocacy group for those who are homeless and grappling with substance use disorder and mental health issues, encouraged city staff to install bathrooms as quickly as possible, regardless of where they are.
Dunbar said residents’ fears that bathrooms will be mistreated and draw homeless people or substance abusers highlights that those are growing problems in Bangor, and he feels the city isn’t extending enough help and compassion to those who are suffering.
“I hope there are ways we can show compassion and bring bathrooms that are probably needed in areas like downtown,” said Justin Cartier, who lives on Essex Street. “I see the need for that, but it seems like most people here are in agreement that putting them in neighborhood parks around Bangor is not the place to put them.”
A few attendees suggested the city start by installing one or two units downtown to gauge how they’re treated before adding more elsewhere.
Ben Treat, director of the Bangor Public Library, asked whether Pierce Park next to the library would be a better site for a bathroom, as it’s in an area with more traffic and people may be discouraged from mistreating it. A public bathroom in that area would also be helpful for people who need to relieve themselves when the library is closed.
From his experience offering public bathrooms in the library, Treat also said the new bathrooms will likely need frequent cleanings, and crews should be prepared to encounter someone who is sleeping or has overdosed in a restroom.
“People in general don’t treat public facilities as well as they treat their own,” Treat said.
Bangor’s existing bathrooms are in public buildings such as the library, transit center, and city hall, which has temporarily relocated to the Penquis building on Harlow Street. All of those buildings have set business hours.
Some places in Bangor, like Cascade Park and City Forest, however, have portable or pit toilets.
The city council set aside $221,700 in pandemic relief funds to pay to install and service the units. Each stall costs about $30,000 and is made of steel to be durable and resistant to vandalism. The units would sit on concrete pads and be open at the bottom to allow for easy cleaning, ventilation and monitoring.
The contractor the city hired to build the units will also be responsible for cleaning them, Willette said, though a maintenance schedule hasn’t yet been established.
Bangor’s bathroom proposal comes nearly three years after portable toilets in Broad Street Park and behind the Hope House had to be removed due to heavy and repeated vandalism and misuse that made them unsafe or impossible to service. Those toilets cost $70,000 annually and were provided and maintained by Casella. The units were placed in April 2021 but removed in August 2021.
The city will hold two more meetings to gather feedback on the proposal. One will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at William S. Cohen School and the final meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Bangor Public Library. The public can participate remotely through Zoom links that can be found in the city’s online calendar.
