AMHERST — A standalone, single-unit restroom for Kendrick Park, an installation delayed for several months as the town sought clarity about its legality from the state licensing authority, should be ready to go this spring.
Approval for what is known as a Portland Loo came at a Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters meeting in December, allowing the town to move forward with what was permitted by the Planning Board in 2024.
“Now it seems to be in progress,” Town Manager Paul Bockelman told the Town Council at its Jan. 12 meeting.
The Portland Loo is likely to be installed in the spring when the ground is no longer frozen. It will join the playground at that site, which opened in 2021, a popular place for families, but who have to go to nearby restaurants or businesses to use bathrooms.
All the preparation work for the new bathroom was done by the Department of Public Works. The prefabricated restroom will be put onto a concrete slab and attached to town water and sewer. The restroom is part of $1.8 million in infrastructure improvements supported through American Rescue Plan Act money received by the town.
The town also got buy-in from public safety. While the restroom is fully private, passersby can tell if multiple people are inside or if someone has fallen and needs medical attention.
While identical restrooms have gone in elsewhere including one in Greenfield near its skate park in 2023 and several in Cambridge, and New York City placed Portland Loos in five parks last summer, Amherst officials couldn’t complete the project until the state said it was legal to do so.
Building Commissioner Rob Morra explained that the state board requires all equipment and fixtures installed in the state to first complete a product acceptance process and the Portland Loo selected by the town had to be submitted for the state’s review. Now Portland Loo will continue with the fabrication phase and be able to schedule delivery.
There was uncertainty that the state allows a “single-occupancy prefabricated unit featuring an integrated water closet and lavatory.”
The board had reviewed at previous meetings, but tabled the matter each time over concerns that pipes might freeze and whether there is sufficient hand-washing privacy.
The minutes from that meeting state, “manufacturer supplied product supplements to comply with Massachusetts code, including drain covers, heat traces, and the option for post-installation privacy panels.”
The minutes also indicate that some of these restrooms previously installed across Massachusetts may need to be brought up to this code.