Arta Potties Coming To Downtown Oregon City

OREGON CITY, OR — It's a rare day when a city celebrates the installation of portable toilets, but Oregon City police officials say the new portable toilets being installed in the downtown area are for a good cause — namely keeping human waste off city streets and sidewalks.

In response to concerns expressed by the community and downtown business owners "regarding people relieving themselves outdoors on both public and private property," Oregon City police officials partnered up with Trent Clinkscales' Molalla-based Clinkscales Portable Toilets & Septic Service to create the Arta Potties pilot program.

According to police spokesman Capt. Shaun Davis, the Arta Potties program began in Salem in 2015 with a mission to provide area homeless with clean, safe, and aesthetically appealing portable toilets 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

WATCH: Homeless Man In Salem Expresses His Thanks For City's Arta Potties

Oregon City does not currently have public restrooms available in the downtown area, Davis said, and the public restrooms in the city's parks are closed at certain times every night. So the Oregon City Police Department reached out to Clinkscales, who was reportedly so supportive of the idea that he donated one of the portable toilets and will also split the cost of servicing both the Arta Potties with the department.

The Arta Potties installation will be celebrated at the Oregon City Municipal Parking Lot, 1220 Main St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 27. One of the Arta Potties will be located there, while the other will be installed at the base on the Arch Bridge, near Highway 99 and Seventh Street, Davis said.

During the event, the potties will be adorned with their artistic wraps depicting an 1889 photograph of the Oregon City-West Linn suspension bridge and an oil painting from the Roger Yost Gallery called "Totality" by artist Tina Palmer. The Timothy James Band will also provide live music.

In response to immediate concerns that the new public restrooms will become a hangout for drug addicts, Davis asked that all community members assist the police by keeping an eye out for all suspicious activity in Oregon City.

"If we don't know what's going on, we can't help," he said. "If you see something, give us a call."

If the new Arta Potties end up creating more problems than they solve, Davis continued, the pilot program will come to an end. But for now, downtown residents and business owners appear happy they won't be stepping over human waste as they walk to work any longer — or at least that's the hope.

"People are literally defecating on the sidewalks and behind businesses," Davis said. "But if there are issues bigger than what we're dealing with now, we can get rid of (the Arta Potties)."

Davis said Oregon City officials learned a lot from their Salem counterparts while researching the Arta Potty program, from how to prevent vandalism to where they should install the toilets for greatest lines of sight at all times. But again, without the community's help — without residents calling the police when they see suspicious activity — the program could suffer.

Any questions regarding the Arta Potties project or the event can be directed to OCPD Homeless Liaison Officer Mike Day by emailing mday@orcity.org.

This post has been updated to include comments from Oregon City Police spokesman Capt. Shaun Davis.

Photo Courtesy: Oregon City Police Department