Denver police Detective Mark Matthews came home from a camping trip last weekend to find people urinating on the trees near a park playground.
It turns out that Matthews, who lives across the street from Pinecrest Village Park in southwest Denver, was one of many who saw the effects of a decision to remove half of the portable toilets in city parks.
That left an unknown number of people in 72 parks searching for relief.
Complaints from the public led park officials to reverse their decision Wednesday, but it will take 10 days or more to reinstall the green portable toilets.
“It’s one of the stupidest bureaucratic decisions of the year,” said City Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, who represents the Pinecrest Park area. “My constituents called to say people were coming to their doors to use their bathrooms and people were urinating in the bushes.”
The parks department said that when it had to make midyear budget cuts, officials looked to see whether cost savings could come from the 144 portable toilets it had in 88 city parks.
Without notifying residents or City Council members, the agency decided to remove 74 of the units from 72 parks, believing that those parks had low bathroom usage.
“It seems like there was a miscalculation on behalf of the parks and planning department about how often the portalets are used,” said parks spokeswoman Tiffiany Moehring.
Matthews couldn’t agree more. A member of Pinecrest Park’s board, he returned from vacation facing not only public urination but also a litany of complaints from his neighbors.
“This was a ridiculous idea,” Matthews said. “We have a soccer field and a softball field in the park. Whether they’re drinking water or beer, they’re going to need a bathroom.”
The parks affected are scattered around the city and include big, small and even dog parks. Many, including the Lowry Sports Complex, had portable toilets removed even though they host soccer teams.
Bible Park had its two portable toilets confiscated from locations near the tennis and basketball courts.
Many parks in the city don’t have constructed bathrooms, and portable toilets are the only alternative for park-goers.
Some remain all year long, but most, like constructed bathrooms, are closed in winter.
City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth said that having portable toilets is essential for “a city that prides itself on being clean and safe.”
“We have more problems in the parks without them,” Wedgeworth said. “It’s a cleanliness issue.”
Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.
