Manteca could become the seventh California city to acquire a Portland Loo.

It is seen as a way to address potential problems to allow implementation of a City Council directive to heed growing public requests for restrooms in neighborhood parks that have seen a surge of walkers — especially the elderly — and use by families that don’t live nearby.

They are a less expensive alternative to prefabricated restrooms that are less expensive alternatives to building permanent restroom buildings in city parks.

The two new pre-fabricated restroom complexes for Woodward Park that are not Portland Loos have four unisex bathrooms each that are all ADA compliant. Each four-pack cost more than $500,000 each to purchase.

One was a replacement for older bathrooms while the other had to have water and electricity extended to a new site.

After site prep and paying prevailing federal wages, the two restrooms cost in excess of $1.5 million.

While the cost seems high, it is less than the price of building “brick and mortar” restrooms designed for heavy public use.

The city’s first prefabricated restrooms — two separate bathrooms under one roof — at Library Park, cost $125,900 in the mid-1990s.

Mayor Gary Singh has long championed restrooms in other parks besides those specifically designed for heavy community use such as Woodward, Northgate, Marion Elliott (former Lincoln) and Library parks.

Singh said a lot of older people who chose to use neighborhood parks for daily walks have shared they often can’t make it home in time or have driven to a park that is larger than one near their homes.

“Soccer” moms have also expressed a need for restrooms especially at larger neighborhood parks that accommodate soccer matches and practices.

Councilwoman Regina Lackey has recounted that she — as well as other mothers — had to resort to putting a portable kids toilet in the back of their SUVs when traveling to neighborhood parks that lacked bathrooms.

Michael Rosales, who is in charge of park planning and designing for the City of Manteca, noted that in future larger-than-normal neighborhood parks that can function as a quasi-community park, the city will be deploying Portland Loos.

The single bathroom units are not only less expensive, but they are an effective deterrent to problems such as misuse by the homeless.

The Portland Loo, according to cities that employ them, is:

*designed to fight crime. Graffiti-resistant walls fight against vandalism, blue lights deter intravenous drug use, and the grated design (on top and on the bottom) limits the downsides of too much privacy.

*built with durable stainless steel that can withstand even the most abusive use.

*was specifically designed to strike the perfect balance between privacy and safety. The grated design and open bottom provide users with sufficient privacy while still allowing officials to see how many people are inside.

*simple and inexpensive to maintain. It’s built with easy-to-source and highly affordable parts. Each piece simply attaches and detaches like a Lego set.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com