INDIANAPOLIS — This month, the city of Indianapolis started a pilot program for a public restroom downtown.
It’s in a parking lot outside the old Indiana State Museum on Alabama Street near East New York Street.
The small, blue shipping container has two stalls, including one that is ADA-accessible. On the side, there is also a handwashing station.
Inside the stalls, the city put purple lights to discourage drug use and a five-minute, timed lock.
“It’s an effort to really double down on our commitment to a safer, accessible and cleaner downtown,” said Andrew Merkley, director of Homelessness Policy and Eviction Prevention with the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety.
The unit was installed last Friday and cost $36,000. The money was approved by the City-County Council last fall and comes from the city’s general funds.
The specific spot was chosen because it’s a popular distribution site for the city’s unsheltered neighbors.
“We can go home and use the restroom. We can go into a coffee shop and pay for a drink and use the restroom there, but some of our unsheltered neighbors or low-income neighbors need a dignified space to use the restroom,” Merkley said.
Merkley said before this, there wasn’t a downtown public restroom people could use 24/7, which often resulted in unsanitary situations.
“I’ve seen a lot of people going to the bathroom outside. I work right around here so I think this is great,” said Collin Cummins. “Even sometimes I’m like, 'Where is a bathroom?'”
The vendor will oversee cleaning the bathrooms once a week. Merkley said that could change depending on how often they are used.
The city plans to install another restroom downtown in the coming weeks but has not decided on a location.