By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES— Toilets on the Causeway turned into the hot-button topic.

Kirstin Hewes, who owns Sun Sports+ on the Causeway, asked what the town’s plans were for porta-potties this summer.

“We need to discuss the bathrooms on the Causeway. It was a nightmare this summer. I kind of feel bad for Long Lake Marina because they had the only three or four in town; and that is where everyone went,” she said.

Last year, it was Memorial Day weekend when the town reached out to businesses, asking if they could make room on their property for porta-potties for which the town would pay.

She said it was frustrating to welcome customers to town and into her shop and tell them there are no public bathrooms.

Hewes had been trying to get the topic on the agenda so the discussion could take place sooner this year.

“I’m willing to get involved in it, but we have to get it going before Memorial Day weekend,” she said.

Hewes brought up the subject of porta-potties during public participation at the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday. It turned into a 30 to 40-minute conversation.

Part of the problem had to do with the climate in porta-potties rentals. Since 2020, there was an issue with finding employees to maintain the units regularly. Apparently, Blow Brothers also bought out the competing companies.

Selectman Kevin Rogers asked how the porta-potty situation ended last year.

For decades, the town-rented plastic Johns were located behind Rick’s Cafe. Last year, the owner of Rick’s Cafe wanted to charge the town to use the lot space, according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley.

“We looked at other, alternative locations and we weren’t successful. Long Lake Marina had two. We agreed to help them pay for one of theirs, and we put another one there. We had three at Kent’s Landing. That is just the only places we had” to put the porta-potties, Hawley said.

Rogers said he had a lengthy conversation with the owner of Rick’s Cafe and the surrounding buildings. The person would be willing to put the town’s porta-potties on his property if someone kept them clean.

“It was just a disaster. The company that pumped them left, they couldn’t keep up with the cleaning so was a mess. It was just a disaster behind his place there,” Rogers said.

“The fact of the matter is if those are there for the town, the town should be  responsible for them being kept up. I know everyone is going to say, ‘I don’t want that job.’ And, we are going to have a hard time finding anyone to do that job,” he said. “If we are going to propose anything to him again, we need to be able to say we have our own staff. I don’t know how ridiculous it will cost to find that service. He also mentioned trash barrels. Those weren’t there. He was willing to listen to that again if we had some ideas on our part.”

Hewes said she would be willing to take two units if other businesses did the same and if the units were kept clean.

“I don’t want my customers to step over baby diapers on their way into the store,” she said.

Over the years, the selectmen have tossed around the idea of building a public restroom facility or renting a bathroom trailer. Still, the problem is two-fold: where to put such a facility and who will keep it clean during the busy tourist season.

“If we want to build them, we need to maintain it. We need a crew to maintain it. If we rent porta-potties and put them behind someone’s business, ultimately we have to keep it clean,” Rogers said.

Audience member Ken Norton, who has a background in engineering, spoke.

“There is no place to put a vault toilet. I don’t see that space on the Causeway. You’d have to get a variance for the tank setbacks,” Norton said.

Selectman Colin Brackett asked why there is such a demand for bathrooms by the water.

Hewes answered, “It is boat traffic. It is the Songo River Queen customers. It is the Fourth Of July.”

Bob Caron II said signage was the answer to helping people locate public restrooms. He said other waterfront tourist towns have signs for boaters.

“One thing the town has been lax about is when you get off the boat, there should be signage. Signs for parking, restroom facilities. They blend in with the landscape and tell you where to go,” he said.

“We don’t have signage. Everyone knows there is restroom facilities behind Rick’s because they have been there 30 years,” Caron said.

This began the argument that nobody wants to walk to Kent’s Landing from the Causeway. Caron said he disagreed. People would walk the distance if a sign indicated where and how far away restrooms were.

The discussion swung back to cleaning bathrooms.

“The real issue is how can we get them cleaned. I talked to the owner of that property today less than 12 hours ago. He said he will revisit this if we promise [the port potties] will be cleaned and trash cans there to collect refuse,” Rogers said. “The issue isn’t that we don’t have porta-potties, it is how do we guarantee they are cleaned.”