In Odesa, 6 million planned for first inclusive restroom

Odesa has revised the "Barrier-Free Odesa" program: instead of building 19 public toilets at once, they decided to start with a pilot project. The first inclusive restroom is planned to be built in 2025 for almost UAH 6 million, and the rest - gradually until 2028.

The decision was made at a session of the Odesa City Council.

The Odesa City Council plans to adjust the "Barrier-Free Odesa" program for 2023-2028. The changes concern the financing of the construction of a network of public toilets that should be accessible to all city residents, including people with disabilities and other low-mobility groups.

According to the draft decision, the program initially envisaged the construction of 19 modern toilets in different districts of Odesa. However, a detailed analysis revealed a number of risks. First, the simultaneous construction of all facilities creates a significant burden on the budget, which is unbearable in times of war. Secondly, the city does not have sufficient experience in operating such toilets: cleaning, security, connection to communications and maintenance require separate costs. In addition, there is a risk that not all of the planned locations will be in demand.

To avoid mismanagement of funds, the authorities propose to move to a phased approach. In 2025, the first pilot automatic public restroom with inclusivity is planned to be built. UAH 5.75 million has been allocated for this purpose. It will be equipped with a universal cabin for people who use wheelchairs and connected to utility networks with landscaping around it.

Further construction is planned to last from 2026 to 2028. During this time, 18 more such restrooms are to appear in different parts of the city. The cost of each will be approximately UAH 1.5 million.

The inclusive modular toilets in the historic center of Odesa were planned to be installed in April. To protect the new property, the authorities promised increased control: each restroom will be equipped with video surveillance cameras connected to the Safe City system, and will be patrolled by the Municipal Guard and the National Police. In addition, the city will announce a tender for the maintenance of toilets to avoid long downtime in case of malfunctions.

In August, the Odesa City Council almost failed the"Barrier-Free Odesa" program due to a scandal over the cost of inclusive toilets, which cost 5.7 million hryvnias each. After a second vote, the decision was approved, although deputy Petro Obukhov opposed it, considering the price unreasonably high. However, the second attempt to amend the "Barrier-Free Odesa" program for 2023-2028 was successful. This issue was also discussed live on Intent's YouTube channel.

In September, Odesa City Council deputy Volodymyr Kornienko accused the head of the Service Center, Zurab Shoniya, of ignoring the session's decision to purchase toilets for UAH 5.7 million. On September 12, at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning, Budget and Finance, Kornienko said that although the deputies had agreed to allocate funds for one restroom, the results of the tender were not canceled and no changes were made to the agreement.

Анна Бальчінос