SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A celebration to promote plans for a long-sought public bathroom in San Francisco's Noe Valley was canceled on Wednesday after severe backlash to its $1.7 million price tag.
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California Assemblyman Matt Haney earlier this year secured funds in the city's budget to construct the toilet in Noe Valley Town Square, which many had been clamoring for in the popular public park.
Haney had scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the accomplishment. However, the San Francisco Chronicle, in a column published that morning, detailed many of the circumstances surrounding the project including that it would cost $1.7 million, roughly the same cost as a single-family home in the city, and would not be open until 2025. All for a one toilet bathroom in 150 square feet of space.
The astonishing figures were met by a firestorm of public critcism across social media.
Haney learned from the Chronicle report that the city had "no compelling reason" for the exuberant price tag or the opening date, prompting him to cancel his planned news conference.
"I'm glad that Noe Valley will at some point get a bathroom, but it shouldn’t cost this much and it shouldn’t take this long, and I'm angry about it," Haney told the paper. "It's not something I want to celebrate right now."
Haney added that he plans to send a formal letter to the city's recreation and parks department asking for further explanation.
Haney, who represents District 17, which covers most of east San Francisco, previously told the paper that he secured the money after being told "loud and clear that families in the community needed the bathroom." He was told by the agency that $1.7 million was the going rate for public bathrooms and he did not question the price tag.
In a joint statement, The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and the Department of Public Works gave the Chronicle a variety of reasons for why the restrooms are so expensive, including surging construction costs in the city, and the many bureaucratic steps in the process prior to the actual construction.
"When Rec and Park first told us the number, it sounded shockingly high to me, and I think your article has revealed that their process around this is broken and the number is inexplicable," Haney told the paper.
Haney admitted he can’t do anything about the $1.7 million committed to the bathroom, but he said he wants the city to find a way to spend less and use the remaining funds elsewhere.
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