Because WOAI would rather have the city spend just as much to keep port-o-potties clean and usable.
SA to Flush $1/2 Million Down Toilet--Literally
LAST UPDATE: 8/12/2005 8:00:09 PM
Posted By: Jim Forsyth
This story is available on your cell phone at mobile.woai.com.
A measure included in the two year City of San Antonio budget blueprint unveiled Thursday would spend a half million next year on two quarter million dollar super luxury public toilets for use by the city's homeless population, 1200 WOAI news reported today.
The luxury latrines would include many high tech amenities, they would be self cleaning, self deodorizing, and would include security features that would allow them to remain open 24 hours a day, and in all kinds of weather.
Increasing the number of rest rooms available to the homeless was a key demand of homeless activists when the city passed it's restrictions on downtown panhandling, begging, and other activities this past spring.
The Rev. John Flowers at Travis Park United Methodist Church, says the high rent rest rooms show that the city is compassionate toward the less fortunate.
"If you have an ordinance against urination or defecation in public, you have to have an option for people," he told 1200 WOAI's Bud Little.
Flowers and other homeless advocates say the public toilets would also be utilized by downtown tourists as well as regular people who work downtown and feel the urge to go.
"Homeless folks are actually fourth on the list of people in San Antonio who make use of public toilets."
He says public restrooms are an 'investment in the future.'
The median price of a home in San Antonio is a little more than $104,000 this year, which means each of these proposed golden thrones costs more than twice as much as the median price of a family home.
LINK
Because WOAI would rather have the city spend just as much to keep port-o-potties clean and usable.
I blieve the le was a clever play on words.
Don't take it so literal.
Id rather the city fixed their freakin streets before catering to people who don't want to freakin work.Because WOAI would rather have the city spend just as much to keep port-o-potties clean and usable.
I have a strong distrust for WOAI News. They constantly suck their own s with their "news" coverage.
People are going to have sex in those
Yeah! Damn tourists! Either get a job or get the out of SA!
Please.Yeah! Damn tourists! Either get a job or get the out of SA!
Use the in resteraunts like they always have.
People wont use them. If people are gonna piss in the street, they will.
Of course homeless advocates will say that.
They are trying to sell more money for the public on lazy, dumb s who will wiz under the bridge anyways.
TPark, you are one anger person. What did life do to you that made you this way?
I think you'd have been perfect for the 1950's. All that red... commie power!!
How many businesses downtown let people use their facilities without being paying customers?
The city can't simply ignore the homeless issues and hope they'll go away or die.
Plus, the city is already dedicating $16.7M for street maintenence, which included an additional $10M that the city found for repairs.
I'm gonna give this one the
Is two restrooms really gonna make that much of a difference?
For 1/2 million dollars, those es better come on wheels and make house-calls...or cardboard-box-calls....as the case would seem to be.
Also, funding for public restrooms was identified for review by seven or more council members.
According to the budget, these are going to be located at VIA transfer points...it's not only the homeless that are going to use these.
That is lame and a waste of money.![]()
Still, those restrooms are going to cover all of what...maybe 2-3 city blocks?
Do you really think homeless people are going to hike more than that to go to the bathroom when they could just find the nearest secluded bush or dark alleyway?
I'm not saying it's sanitary by any means, but people (in general) are lazy.
For $500,000 they're self clean, self defecting, and so safe to the point they can be used 24/7.
I don't know how you're precieving the way they look, but they're huge.
I'm not saying it's not a lot of money.
I'd sure like to see exactly how well this $250K is spent and if there'd be a more efficient way of doing so, but it seems to me that a majority of the council thinks this is a problem, and as much as I find this council problematic - it's better than what we used to have.
Also, this proposed budget doesn't have a financial shortfall and will not result in major job losses for the citizens of this city.
Don't mind the bad jokes. My sense of humor tends to run a bit rampant once the boredom strikes.
I understand where the money would be going...I just can't help but wonder if there aren't better ways it could be spent?
But I, admittedly, don't know jack about city politics, so maybe I'm best left out of this one.
That's just the point - it's not only for homeless people.
When I took the bus from Jekka's place to downtown for the Dome Party, I had to pee pretty badly. No place downtown was going to let me use their facilities - especially somebody dressed in a Spurs shirt during the celebration, especially a young, Hispanic male in downtown SA.
Luckily, I can use the facilities at the USO near Casa Rio.
Neither do I, but I went over the city's site and have parts of the budget in front of me now.
TPark, why don't you go to one of the public hearings and make your thoughts known?
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Citizens are invited to participate in the process at the following public hearings:
* Tuesday, August 23, 6:00 p.m. - Public Hearing on Proposed Budget
* Thursday, Sept. 1, 6:00 p.m. - Public Hearing on Proposed Tax Rate
* Tuesday, September 6, 6:00 p.m. - Public Hearing on Proposed Budget
* Thursday, Sept. 1, 6:00 p.m. - Public Hearing on Proposed Tax Rate
This upcoming city budget will actually have a surplus. A 27 million surplus.
Look, it's very simple, the reason homeless people where banned from downtown at night was because they pee'd and sometimes deficated right in front of tourists. Tourists complained, so the city came up with a longterm solution to help the homeless.
Also, how many times a day does this happen:
Tourist walking around downtown... feels the urge to use the restroom.
The tourist walks up to someone:
Tourist: o, do you know where they're might be a restroom.
Person: Um... um... you might wanna try that place or if not, there's a McDonalds a couple of blocks that way. They have one.
Tourist: Ok thanks.
Now they have a free, clean, safe, place to do their business.
They dont have enough gumption to walk down the street and freakin get a job let alone do that.Do you really think homeless people are going to hike more than that to go to the bathroom when they could just find the nearest secluded bush or dark alleyway?
More tax dollars at work, spending on the "less fortunate" amazing how they arent homless anymore its "less fortunate"
More spending on the homeless. Of course. That makes the problem better.
More money for people who wont work, because they know, people will have to do for them.....
Im working on those dates.TPark, why don't you go to one of the public hearings and make your thoughts known?
Gotta make more money, so the people I offer jobs to, can sit on the corner, beg for money, then go snort more 8 balls.
http://www.sanantonio.gov/budget/pdf...ropExecSum.pdf
"Homeless" or some derivitive of it shows up ten times in that do ent.
Two thoughts.
1. Call your councilman.
2. I don't think they need you to go work so that some of them can do that.
I have a question for you, Park.
Would you rather the homeless beg for change, defecate in public, etc. or would you rather some of them take some of the opportunities afforded them and try to make a change (job, home, etc.)?
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