Residents and visitors in the village of Northport will soon have a new portable public restroom option to utilize in the downtown area starting as soon as this month.
Northport Village Council trustees voted unanimously at its regular meeting last Thursday to authorize up to $7,500 to have rental portable bathrooms installed downtown. The bathrooms would most likely be placed in the village-owned parking lot between Northport Pub & Grille and New Bohemian Cafe.
The choice was one of several considerations, one of which included a much more costly estimate for building a public bathroom. Local Northport businesses like New Bohemian Cafe have reported in recent years the high demand of their own restrooms being used by people who need to make a quick stop, and have requested that the village council take a look at what options are possible to alleviate the need. The action taken was the first to help address the need for more restrooms downtown as the council takes into consideration other projects that need to be prioritized in the months ahead.
“We’re not in a position to do construction right now and this is kind of a pilot program to test out how much they (the bathrooms) are being used, what do we need to do to get them cleaned, things like that — trying to get us a clear idea of what it is we’re doing,” said Jim Dyer, Northport village manager.
Chris McCann, Northport Village Council president, said at the meeting that the busy season doesn’t just begin in July, acknowledging that the spring and fall is also a bustling time for downtown businesses when visitors flock to the village.
“If we’re going to encourage downtown foot traffic, which is what gets people out of the car and spending money, they have to have somewhere for them to relieve themselves,” McCann said. “This is our trial run — let’s do the end of July and August and get us through till Labor Day…” Although the council unanimously supported the idea of setting up more restroom facilities downtown, trustee Laura Cavendish noted that she wants to see capital improvement projects (CIP) in the village plan “being figured out” before going forward and taking action on other developments. Last month amid budget talks, Dyer said the council would be taking a closer look at village funds come this fall, as well as analyzing if they have enough money to complete various capital projects.
“It’s frustrating for me because we keep seeing projects because there’s other things that are still on that (CIP) list that have been higher and when we spend money here, then we can’t spend money on that. So that for me is a priority,” Cavendish said.
In March, the council approved a resolution to establish a social district to assist downtown businesses in adapting to the worker shortage by providing additional services without having to increase staff. It was also intended to attract customers year-round for enhanced outdoor dining downtown and entertainment experiences while encouraging visitors to explore and extend their time in town. The social district allows for common areas where two or more contiguous licensed establishments can sell alcoholic beverages in special cups to be taken into the common areas for consumption. Its boundaries are generally Main Street, Waukazoo Street, Third Street, and Bay Street, with the common areas including the parks, sidewalks, crosswalks, and village owned parking lots in the downtown area. The portable bathrooms would likely be placed on village property just off Waukazoo, one of the social district streets, helping to support the influx of people that the village and businesses count on every year.
