Free public restrooms are coming to Cleveland soon. It was a 5 year journey.

CLEVELAND — Mark Lammon never planned to spend so much time on free public restrooms.

But for five years now, he’s been on a crusade to make sure everyone in downtown Cleveland has somewhere to go.

Now Cuyahoga County is preparing to install the city’s first Portland Restroom, a durable stainless steel kiosk, at Payne Avenue and East 17th Street. The city of Cleveland is poised to build three more, which could come to Perk Plaza and Canal Basin Park.

The project is being implemented thanks to many partners and constant support from Lammon, who began this journey at the beginning of 2020. He is the executive director of Campus District Inc., a nonprofit community development organization centered on the eastern edge of downtown, where there is a cluster of homeless shelters and social service buildings.

“There has always been controversy about public toilets,” he said. “The community was sometimes hesitant, thinking about security issues and who would maintain it. And then COVID happens and all public buildings close. And the Campus District and Ohio City became sort of the public toilet of the city.”

Neighborhood groups responded by getting a grant to install porta-potties, a short-term solution that lasted nearly two years as the pandemic dragged on.

“And during that time we had a study that essentially showed there were no safety issues. We haven’t had any problems with service,” Lammon said. “And then we looked at how much money the community was spending on toilets and decided, ‘It’s time to do public toilets.’

The Campus District used federal pandemic relief money, which came through the Cleveland Foundation, to purchase the Portland toilet. Single keel designs are built to withstand impacts, with simple fastenings and anti-graffiti coating.

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In Portland, Oregon, the concept began nearly 20 years ago to meet the needs of a growing homeless population. The toilets were created to discourage illegal drug use, prostitution and vandalism.

They are partially open, with louvers at the top and bottom. Slanted metal bars allow passers-by and police officers to determine if someone is inside. Otherwise, the curved door and wall panels are durable, providing privacy.

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Portland installed its first toilet in 2008. Since then, toilets have appeared in more than 20 other cities, including Cincinnati and, most recently, Columbus.

But the local toilets, which cost about $145,000 each, have been sitting in a Cuyahoga County maintenance garage for three years. Lammon said they are difficult to find.

“Part of this is a real technical, engineering problem,” he said. “This is not Port John. It is connected to the city sewer. City water. City electricity. And it was important to find the right site that could serve all members of our community.”

The toilets have heated plumbing to keep them from freezing in cold weather. A mechanical locker at the rear of each room includes pressure washing equipment so maintenance staff can easily hose down stalls several times a day.

Cuyahoga County agreed to install and maintain one of the toilets. The restroom will be located near the entrance to the Virgil E. Brown Center, a human services building.

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“We’re hopeful that within the next two to three months we’ll move forward with getting it posted,” said Michael Dever, the county’s public works director. “We need to work on the infrastructure first, so that will take a little time. And we go against the weather. … It should be operational in the first quarter of 2025.”

The Cleveland City Council is considering legislation to allow three other restrooms to be accepted as a donation from the campus district. Council members discussed the plan at an Oct. 21 committee meeting but delayed a vote, saying they needed more information about installation costs and maintenance plans.

The city hopes to install one at Perk Plaza, at East 12th Street and Chester Avenue, and two at Canal Basin Park. still developing green area on the east bank of the Flats. However, these locations still must be approved by the Cleveland City Planning Commission.

If approved, restrooms would not be installed at Canal Basin Park until the city begins a broader redevelopment of the park. The city is in talks with Downtown Cleveland Inc., which has cleaning ambassadors who patrol downtown, about doing maintenance.

“This is a huge step forward in serving our residents and visitors,” said Joyce Pan Huang, the city’s planning director. “And I personally think public places should really provide services like public restrooms for the sake of order.”

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As the parent of a young child, Huang said she and her family constantly struggle to find clean and safe toilets. “Everyone needs to use the toilet,” she said.

Lammon and other local leaders had once hoped to see more toilets, perhaps 10 to 15, installed in Northeast Ohio. Campus County started with four due to grant funding and the rising cost of stainless steel during the pandemic.

“We always envisioned it to be a broader network,” he said. “Once we get them and understand how they’ll be serviced, we’d like to expand that – across the city and region – so everyone can buy from one network and maybe they can all be serviced under one contract, so it’s one system . But we’re not quite there yet.”

After years of effort, he can’t wait to see the first of them finally hit the streets.

“I’m willing to try another project that doesn’t involve plumbing,” he said.