City of Portland Blames Former Contractor for Hazardous Conditions at Public Restrooms Downtown

City officials are blaming “inadequate service” for the squalid state of Portland’s 14 downtown public restrooms.

For years, Portland Parks & Recreation has relied on contractors to clean the restrooms twice a day. And until April, the city contracted with NW Success, a nonprofit government contractor that employs people with disabilities. But that contract was terminated by mutual agreement after the company “was unable to meet expectations,” according to an emergency procurement request signed by City Commissioner Dan Ryan in May and recently obtained by WW.

At the time of the request, dated May 18, Portland Parks & Recreation, which manages the restrooms, had been without a cleaning contractor for over a month. “As such, restrooms in the downtown core are not meeting the standards of being open and clean. In fact, they have become a health and safety hazard,” the request says.

The person who answered the phone at NW Success said the company gave up the contract due to disruptive behavior by people who frequent the restrooms. “It just wasn’t a safe environment for workers,” said the employee, who declined to give a name.

“Between contractors, Portland Parks & Recreation maintenance staff cleaned restrooms as staffing and resources allowed,” parks bureau spokesman Mark Ross tells WW. But the bureau did so less frequently. “With PP&R’s current capacity, bureau staff generally clean restrooms in the morning,” Ross added.

Thanks to the emergency procurement request, the bureau hired Rapid Response, “a proven bio-hazard removal company,” on a temporary basis in June to start cleaning the restrooms—at a cost of $134,999. That’s $100 per toilet per cleaning.

Rapid Response is best known as the city contractor that cleans campsites during homeless sweeps.

And today, the City Council approved an extension of the company’s contract into next year. The money will come out of the parks bureau budget.