The people who’ve helped bring great public toilets to Portland’s Old Town Chinatown were honored at a lively and well-attended celebration at Orchid Salon on March 24th.

Anna DiBenedetto, Commissioner Randy Leonard, Davis Shaff & Curtis Banger

After everyone had been welcomed by PHLUSH Co-Founder Tom Carrollo, Nancy Stovall, Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair, presented a special PHLUSH Innovation Award recognizing the Portland Loo team as follows:  Hats off to the teamwork that brought the first Portland Loo to Old Town Chinatown!  We applaud Commissioner Randy Leonard for taking the political risk, Curtis Banger for his determination to get the design right, Dave Gray for figuring out how to make it work, Greg Madden for building the prototype, Anna DiBenedetto for telling the world about it and David Shaff and the folks at the Water Bureau for their commitment to seeing the Portland Loo become yet another icon of our great city.  

PHLUSH Cleaning Hero Matt Bellet accepts PHLUSH Award from Mayor Potter.

Next, Mayor Potter was introduced and asked to present two awards PHLUSH hopes will become annual.   Honored as PHLUSH Cleaning Hero was Matt Bellet:  Your effective leadership as supervisor of the Homeless to Work staff of Clean and Safe has set the standard of cleaning excellence that Portlanders have come to expect in our public toilets. Matt, thank you for taking pride in your work and inspiring others to do the same. We appreciate you; you are the wind beneath the hard-working cleaning wings that keep Portland safe and livable.

Portland Rescue Mission's JR Baker & Tom Lister accept PHLUSH Restroom of the Year Award from Mayor Potter

The former Portland Mayor then invited Chaplin J.R. Baker and Director of Vocational Ministries to accept the Restroom of the Year Award on behalf of Portland Rescue Mission:  By sharing your bathroom in the heart of Old Town Chinatown you embody the spirit of good neighborliness.  Residents and travelers are welcomed into your beautiful, clean, safe, and comfortable surroundings and served with dignity and respect.  Thank you, Portland Rescue Mission.  We appreciate your putting the Golden Rule of doing unto others into action twenty four hours every day. 

PHLUSH Co-Founder Barb Lescher honors recently retired Portland Mayor Tom Potter as PHLUSH Champion

To cap the official celebration, PHLUSH Co-Founder Barb Lescher honored Tom Potter with a special PHLUSH Champion Award and these words. Your respectful commitment to all Portlanders and your understanding of what constitutes human dignity brought the discussion of public toilets into civic life during your tenure at City Hall.     Your vision and action have enabled others to solve problems in innovative ways, to  meet human needs, and to  enhance  the Livability of Portland so it shines as an example to other cities.

PHLUSH Co-Founder Lan Nguyen hosted the event at her business cum ad hoc community center.  Refreshments featured donations from nearby eateries Fox and Hounds, Casba Café, NW Burger, Freddie Brown’s, and the House of Louie.   Here are some more pictures taken by Old Town Chinatown blogger and arts promoter Brian T. Wilson.

Tom Potter with PHLUSH Co-Founder and Orchid Salon Owner Lan Nguyen.

Guests included Tom Ellicott, Dora Perry, John Beardsley, Carl Roberts, Howard Weiner, Karin Hansen and Mary-Rain O'Meara

Carol McCreary welcomes J.R. Baker and Tom Lister of Portland Rescue Mission and Restroom of the Year.

A recent documentary on the innovative new Portland Loo features an interview with PHLUSH Co-Founder Tom Carrollo.  ”People Can’t Wait” will be screened on  Wed, April 8 at 7pm the Hollywood Theatre. Tickets will be on sale at the door

Old Town Chinatown-based filmmaker Travis Shields of ShieldsFilms produced the short as part of the International Documentary Challenge, which requires filmmakers to produce a short work of 4 to 7 minutes in the space of five days.  The Portland Loo is the brainchild of a team led by Commissioner Randy Leonard, who also appears in the film. The prototype of the innovative street toilet opened on NW Glisan St at NW Fifth in December. It has been applauded by the local community and had attracted the attention of cities from throughout the world.      

Says Shields “I am proud to say our documentary “People Can’t Wait” was completed in time and looks great!…. We will find out by March 30th if our film made the final round of judging.”  The filmmakers  new studio is inside Union Station at 800 NW 6th Ave. Suite 206.

A bill introduced this month the Oregon Senate would ensure restroom access in commercial establishments to a select group of  people.   Senate Bill 706  would require that places of public accommodation allow customer access to employee toilet facilities if customer has certain medical conditions. It specifies exceptions and punishes violation of requirement by maximum fine of $90.

The bill states that ‘Eligible medical condition’ means the use of an ostomy device or a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, any other inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome or other medical condition that can cause a person to require access to a toilet facility without delay.”   

Introduced by Senator Bruce Starr of Hillsboro on March 3, the bill is now being studied by the Commerce and Workforce Development Committee.

Ummm.  Let’s think about this?   Does this mean that the rest of us will forfeit our right to use the restroom.  What about restroom challenged people without “medical conditions” like little kids, older people, and pregnant women?

Illinois teenager Ally Bain was shopping in an Old Navy store when she needed to use the restroom.   The store management insisted there were no restrooms for customers and Ally had an accident.   You see, Ally has Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and her need to use toilet is both urgent and sudden.  She is “restroom challenged.” Ally’s speaking out on her right to use a restroom eventually resulted in passage of the Illinois  Restroom Access Act, or Ally’s Law .

While Ally sets a great example by speaking out, the Illinois law protects only people who are restroom challenged because of medical conditions.

Fortunately, in the great majority of states, including Oregon, customers already have the right to use the restroom.   Building codes require construction projects designed to welcome the public to have toilets to serve them.    Plumbing codes spell this out.  For more information on the Uniform Plumbing Code, which applies statewide in Oregon, see the American Restroom Association’s discussion of Building and Plumbing Codes.

Here’s an opportunity to walk with people  who are restroom challenged due to medical conditions.   The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation sponsors annual walks throughout the US.   The Portland, Oregon walk steps out from Pioneer Courthouse Square on Saturday afternoon, June 20, 2009. 

Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human (PHLUSH) will announce the PHLUSH Public Restroom Awards at a celebration on March 24.   The awards honor those whose efforts have increased public restroom availability in Portland.