Adapted from The Daily Courier
Located not far from the banks of Miller Creek in the middle of Prescott, a new grant-funded restroom has provided not just an environmental benefit, but addresses human-dignity as well. That point was emphasized recently during a meeting between representatives of the parties involved in the 2019 installation of the restroom at the Coalition for Compassion and Justice (CCJ) shelter on Miller Valley Road. It has now been more than a year since Prescott Creeks partnered with CCJ, the City of Prescott, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to install a new pre-cast concrete public bathroom on CCJ land, just steps from Miller Creek and the Greenways Trail that runs along it.
With Prescott’s creeks and lakes largely exceeding acceptable and safe levels for E. coli pollution, a primary goal of the restroom project was to improve the water quality in Miller Creek. Early results indicate that is occurring. Every day, the restrooms are used an average of 35 times. CCJ’s Jessi Hans noted that along with the water-quality benefits, the restroom had improved the human aspect in the area as well. One of the goals of CCJ, she said, “[Is] making sure people had a dignified place to use the bathroom.” Since the opening of the restroom in the spring of 2019, the facility has been used nearly 14,000 times. As the restroom planning was underway, Matt Killeen, City of Prescott Environmental Coordinator, said it helped to highlight the need for more improvements along Prescott’s waterways. Since then, he said, “There has been a big focus on the downtown corridor (of Granite and Miller creeks).” Read the full story…
