A group of area residents presented a 14-page petition to the Farmington City Council asking for the reopening of outdoor restrooms at the Farmington Indian Center, located at 100 West Elm Street in downtown Farmington.
Jody Moore of Farmington spoke during the June 23 council meeting and asked that the city not only reopen the restrooms, but also provide “clean, safe drinking water” at the Indian center and at Oscar Thomas Park so people can “fill big jugs.”
“There is currently not a place to use a public restroom,” Moore said.
However, the Farmington Indian Center has an indoor restroom available for anyone who would like to use it between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. weekdays.
After hours and on weekends, there is a public restroom one block away in Oscar Thomas Park. That restroom is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, said Christa Chapman, assistant director of cultural affairs and marketing for the city.
Moore said he wants the outdoor restrooms located at the back of the center opened.
Chapman said the city closed the restrooms and removed the plumbing in 2010 for “safety reasons.”
“They are not functional,” she said.
M.P. Schildmeyer of Farmington said keeping the Indian center restrooms closed is inconsiderate of people who are unhoused.
“I just want to say something about putting ourselves in the place of the people who are out there tonight who are unhoused and have nowhere to live. We are supposed to do unto others as we want to do unto us. I don’t see that with the lack of public restrooms,” she said.
Schildmeyer also spoke to the issue of drinking water, saying “people who don’t have ready access to a drink … will die.”
The Indian Center does provide public restrooms during its business hours and every city park with a free-standing restroom has those facilities open daily.
Farmington Parks and Recreation staff head out every morning at 6 a.m. to start unlocking the restrooms at all parks in the city. The park restrooms do close at 10 p.m., when the parks close, Chapman said, adding if the park restrooms are locked, there are porta-potties also available in the parks.
Linda Corwin of Bloomfield told the council the restrooms at Berg Park were locked June 20, when there was an event there.
“It was very embarrassing for the city and as you represent the city it is very embarrassing for you,” Corwin told the council. “They are supposed to be public bathrooms.”
Chapman said the restrooms should have been open.
Dan Carlson of the Grace Changes Everything Street Ministries told the council that he is at the Farmington Indian Center Park on Saturday working with the homeless, and he thinks the city should open a day center.
“It would cut your costs down and be less problems for the police department – a place to go where they can rest and use the bathroom and use a shower. They can get IDs,” Carlson said.
The Farmington Indian Center does provide many of those services such as copy and fax services, intercity referrals, Navajo Nation voter registration, Notary Public services and Navajo cuisine, according to the city’s website.
The center has been a “second home for many years now” to Bobby Watchman, he told the council during the meeting.
“I don’t want people who have drinking problems or drunks to use the facility after hours,” Watchman said. “It’s kept clean. They provide jobs for the people who work there. It helps us.”
He added, “if someone wants to come in and destroy my Indian Center, I don’t want it happening.”
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