By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

New Bathroom Aims to Create a Welcoming Downtown Environment

Aug 5, 2016 | 12:40 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A new restroom will be bringing some state-of-the-art technology to Lethbridge’s downtown.

Construction begins next week to build a new bathroom facility along 6 Street South, just south of 4 Avenue. The project comes with a price tag of $220,000, funded by both the Heart of Our City Committee and Infrastructure Services.

Once complete, it’ll feature self-cleaning technology that automatically cleans and sanitizes the toilet, sink and floor, with easy accessibility since it’s built level with the sidewalk.

This video from SAGELEC CANADA demonstrates how the self-cleaning works.

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“We’re trying to make downtown a more welcoming, inclusive place. Certainly, when people are worried about where they can find a facility to relieve themselves, it’s often not a great experience downtown. So, we tried to change that,” noted George Kuhl, Lethbridge’s Planning Initiatives Manager.

Kuhl explained that those with health issues, like Crohn’s disease, and transit riders were top of mind when coming up with the project, as well. Planners recognized that it can be embarassing to ask for a bathroom in underserviced areas.

The location for the facility was determined based on 17 criteria, with help from Lethbridge Police. It was chosen because of the volume of people typically occupying the area, in order to reduce crime and other incidents.

A team of City janitorial staff will also tend to the bathroom, to ensure supplies are consistently stocked up.

The facility should be complete by early September, and will be open from 5:30-am to 12:30-am daily. While it might be too early to say yet, Kuhl suggested that more bathrooms could be a possibility in more underserviced areas in the future.