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The best use of sound in the nation- 2007! Description: Heather Bosch introduces us to the artist who brings an historic instrument to life with his hands, feet and heart. The best news series in the nation- 2006! Description: They may have left the battlefield, but the war is not over. The national Murrow award-winning series begins here. The best use of sound in the nation - 2005! Description: Heather finds a very wet version of a long jumping competition. | AUTOMATED TOILETS
Link to Seattle P.I. Article OR read below from March 2, 2004: Mayor's Mistake
Link to Seattle P.I. article (registration required) or read below from May 23, 2000 Link to Seattle Times article or read below from May 23, 2000
Heather Bosch Reporter Anchor Radio Reports Seattle Washington KIRO NEWSRADIO 710
Heather Bosch Reporter Anchor Radio Reports Seattle Washington KIRO NEWSRADIO 710
At last, relief is in sight as plush public potties open downtown Seattle's posh public potties are open for business. After a decade of discussion, five self-cleaning, space-age style chambers were finally opened to the public yesterday. There were no long lines, but those who did give it a whirl emerged from the futuristic facilities looking amazed, and sometimes a little nervous.
The doors open and close like those on an elevator. You step in. They softly seal shut behind you. "Welcome to Seattle's public toilet," says the kind of voice you might hear as you board a space ride at Disneyland. The self-cleaning cylindrical bathrooms include a toilet, wastepaper basket, and sink with a dispenser that dribbles out soap. They are wheelchair-accessible. Seattle has been waiting years for the high-tech toilets. Councils and mayors have debated the issue. It's been a topic on the campaign trail. Made in Germany, and leased by the city, the public restrooms are expected to cost a total of about $600,000 a year. They will be paid for through sewer revenues. Since the 1980s, Seattle business owners have said the lack of public restrooms was the top issue facing downtown. Business owners across the city have been forced to figure out ways to keep drug users and others out of their bathrooms while keeping the toilets open to customers.
The Capitol Hill branch library briefly closed its bathroom to everyone last month after it became a hideaway for drug abusers. The toilets were the focus of a face-off between former Mayor Paul Schell and the council three years ago. The council approved the public facilities, but Schell vetoed the plan. In a rare move, the council, accusing Schell of potty politics, overrode the veto and pushed ahead on the privies. "The council and the last three mayors debated for years about how to pay for automated toilets. In the end, we didn't want to sacrifice the beauty of our downtown to the visual wasteland of advertising that some contractors required in their contracts," said Council President Jan Drago. Yesterday Drago and Councilman Nick Licata, who also led the effort for public restrooms, joined in celebrating the first flush. "These facilities are self-cleaning, safe, well-situated throughout the city and are free for anyone to use," said Licata. "They will be beneficial to local businesses because tourists, shoppers, residents and the homeless are equally accommodated."
Washington state law prohibits charging people to use public restrooms. The gleaming chambers that opened yesterday are intended for anyone who can't head right home when nature calls. They could be a salvation to the elderly, parents with children, and the homeless. They are roomy, well-lit and completely private -- for 15 minutes. "People will be more likely to use them because they stay clean," said Susan Stoltzfus, a spokeswoman for Seattle Public Utilities. But some are concerned that they might become shelter for drug abusers, dealers and prostitutes. "The community will keep a watch out and make sure they don't become a haven for that kind of activity," Stoltzfus said. "It is hard to make it foolproof, but you do what you can. If a particular unit is having a problem, we can adjust the time on the doors, we can make it shorter and give you less time." Steve Dupree, on business in Pioneer Square yesterday, decided to try the new restroom. The doors automatically closed behind him after he entered. The soothing woman on the speaker is actually the voice of a Seattle Public Utilities employee. The recording is done in English and Spanish, and in Chinese in the International District toilet. The voice explains the 15 minute time limit before the door pops open. Then mentions the button inside that connects users to 911 in case of an emergency. Moments later, Dupree emerges from the gleaming facility. He admitted the 15-minute deadline made him anxious. "Do they give you a warning?" he asked. He added: "That was quite an experience. It really makes you feel like you are part of the millennium."
TOILET LOCATIONS
Tour the potties at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, Hing Hay Park in the International District, Victor Steinbrueck Park at Pike Place Market, Waterfront Park at Pier 59 and the 1800 block of Broadway on Capitol Hill. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mayor apologizes for remark about David Walker shooting Anne Koch
Mayor Paul Schell has apologized to the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild for a remark he made yesterday about the David Walker shooting. Schell told Mike Edwards that he misspoke when he characterized the fatal shooting as a mistake in speaking to a KIRO radio reporter during a police-training conference. His comment to the reporter was aired yesterday. "That is not what I intended to say," Schell said last night. "It was an unfortunate word choice on my part. I should have said `tragedy.' " Edwards, however, apparently wasn't satisfied with the apology. He told KIRO that Schell's remark was "irresponsible." "I have listened to the tape," Edwards said. "There's no doubt what the comment was. . . . Those remarks certainly are his, and he needs to explain them." Walker, a 40-year-old African American, was shot April 12 by Seattle Police Officer Tommie Doran when Walker made a sudden move after ignoring orders to stop and put down his knife. Minutes earlier, Walker had fired two shots at Safeway employees who confronted him about stealing juice from the store. Schell's remark yesterday came during a two-day police conference focusing on teaching officers how to negotiate with mentally ill individuals. Walker had a history of mental illness. Radio reporter Heather Bosch asked Schell about the Walker shooting and about the goal of the conference, said Julien Perry, a KIRO editor. Schell's taped response: "So the whole goal here is to avoid what happened. Even a surgeon makes mistakes, and I think that's what happened." Schell later issued a statement to the radio station in which he said his comment could be "misconstrued." "In discussing the value of training officers to help them respond to crisis situations involving mentally ill people, I made statements that could be interpreted as relating directly to the Walker shooting," Schell said in the statement. "This was not my intention. I had no intention of expressing any judgment of that tragic event. "The Walker shooting was a tragedy. . . . However, I misspoke when I referred to the event as a mistake. The meaning I intended was that this was something that I wish could have been avoided."
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Heather Bosch Reporter Seattle Washington KIRO Newsradio 710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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