WATERLOO — Uptown Waterloo will soon have a permanent public washroom in the core.
A publicly accessible washroom — the Uptown Loo — is set to open next spring in Heritage Green at the corner of King and William streets.
“It will be a high-tech washroom with self cleaning after each user,” said Swati Vekariya, Waterloo’s senior project manager for the washroom installation.
The toilet will be in the area known as Heritage Green which is also under construction. It is being improved with bike rings, gardens and a bench.
The universal washroom will be a permanent structure on a concrete pad, Vekariya said.
The city had a temporary public washroom in the Regina Street parking lot near city hall this summer and in summer 2021. This facility, while helping to fill the gap, was not open year-round.
Vekariya said the more permanent structure came after public feedback. During the pandemic, residents told the city they had trouble accessing washrooms when restaurants and other businesses were closed during lockdowns.
In addition to being accessible and having a baby changing table, the washroom will include a water fountain and a panic button to summon help in an emergency.
The washroom will also have anti-graffiti and anti-vandalism features, including special paint to help prevent graffiti.
Vekariya said the city received federal funding for the project. Waterloo hopes to add more autonomous washrooms in other places around the city, she said.
Residents can participate in a city survey about the toilet until Oct. 19 at engagewr.ca
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