In a move sure to bring relief to many, two public restrooms have opened up in Campustown.

The men’s and women’s facilities, located at 200 Stanton Ave., have been made available to the public free of charge by Campustown Property Management, on a trial basis only.

“If it works out – where our property isn’t getting destroyed, basically – then we’ll enter into a more solid contract to keep them open for perpetuity,” said Michael Yeagle, director of operations for Campustown Property Management.

The city has posted signage that leads to the restrooms, which opened up just in time for Veishea weekend. Even with the influx of bar-goers over the weekend, the first week passed without incident.

“I came in on Sunday and they were clean and the urinal wasn’t ripped off the wall,” Yeagle said.

However, as more people find out about the restrooms, Yeagle said, there may be problems.

Yeagle said the restrooms will remain open until he runs into problems that can’t be dealt with, such as “extraordinary vandalism.”

Nothing is set in stone, but Yeagle said he expects to review the arrangement with the city again in July. Then, the city may agree to pay Campustown Property Management for the upkeep, which was also part of last year’s agreement.

“We would be paying a monthly fee to use those restrooms,” said Steve Schainker, Ames city manager. “We would essentially pay him rent, if you will.”

The restrooms on Stanton were originally considered for use last year, as part of an agreement between the city of Ames and Campustown Property Management.

That idea was born out of an effort by the Student Affairs Commission to curb public urination in Campustown. Maggie Luttrell, ex-officio City Council student liaison and senior in history and women’s studies, was a member of the Student Affairs Commission during this time.

Of the options considered, opening a public restroom proved to be the best solution at the time, Luttrell said, especially once Yeagle was on board.

“He was the only one who seemed interested in trying this experiment,” she said.

Other property managers have been skittish about the idea because of the fear of property damage, Yeagle said, but that hasn’t changed his mind – yet.

“I’m not going to just jump to that conclusion,” he said. “I might reach that conclusion later, but I’m going to give it a chance.”

Another option proposed by the Student Affairs Commission was setting up PortaPotties in Campustown during such high-traffic times as football games.

Schainker said that option was abandoned because PortaPotties can be “unsightly” and difficult to secure or tie down.

“It’s a sanitary issue,” Luttrell said. “You can move those things around and knock them over. It’s just not a safe environment for the people who are in them.”

Yeagle, however, said he liked the PortaPottie solution.

“I know people think they’re unsightly, but what’s more unsightly? People going to the bathroom on the street, or people going into a PortaPottie that can be dropped off on a Friday and picked up on a Sunday?”

Yeagle also said he would like to see restrooms at Campustown bars kept cleaner and more accessible.

“If you go into any of the bars, with an exception of maybe a couple of the new ones that have been completely redone, the bathroom facilities are inadequate,” he said.

Last year’s agreement originally included a second restroom location at 303 Welch Ave., above Stomping Grounds, but it was changed because residents were concerned about security, in addition to vandalism.

“Residents were afraid people would find ways to meander throughout the building, even though it’s a locked building,” Luttrell said.

Yeagle said the original agreement was unfair to John Reed, owner of Stomping Grounds.

“It would not be fair of me to risk his capital to the public,” he said. “Additionally, John is trying to provide something different than just slingin’ booze at 25 cents a pop, and I don’t need to put an extra burden on his business.”