June 20: Board of Park Commissioners, Cleveland Metroparks

Covered by Documenter Lori Ingram (notes)

The magic’s in the bubbles

Cleveland Metroparks has installed devices nicknamed “magic bubblers” to combat an important customer concern: Stinky bathrooms. The bubblers are now in six of the park’s vault bathrooms, according to Metroparks Chief Planning and Design Officer Sean McDermott.

Unlike traditional bathrooms, vault bathrooms don’t have any plumbing. Instead, they have a lined concrete vault to collect between 500 to 1,500 gallons of human waste. For reference, one gallon of water typically weighs eight pounds. 

To get to the bottom of the problem, Metroparks assessed and ranked all of its bathrooms, said McDermott. Vault bathrooms rely on a chimney system that needs direct sunlight to create a draft. They noticed that the bathrooms without direct sunlight ranked the worst, he said.

Credit: Cleveland Metroparks presentation

Metroparks staff nicknamed the devices “magic bubblers” because they are stored inside the vault and rely on air compressors to carry away unpleasant smells. McDermott said the results so far have been “outstanding.”

“We’re doing everything we can to make these vault bathrooms as pleasurable as possible,” he said. 

Monkey mesh and more

Metroparks also updated its Primate, Cat, and Aquatics Building, which included reinforcing the mesh to keep monkeys from getting loose. These monkeys are small and like to work with their fingers, according to Christopher Kuhar, executive director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

“Literally, these are animals that can unscrew bolts,” said Kuhar, who referred to the monkeys as swamp monkeys or Wolf’s guenons, specifically. 

Beyond the mesh for monkeys, the zoo also replaced the glass at both the Rhino Barn and Flamingo exhibits for a better indoor viewing experience, Kuhar said.

Looking to the future

Kuhar also announced plans to improve the Gray Kangaroo Barn and the Budgie Aviary. The Gray Kangaroo Barn was originally built in 1980. The zoo plans to build a new barn that will match the Victorian style of the zoo’s nearby train station. 

The Budgie Aviary needs a new concrete floor so it’s easier to clean and keep the birds healthier, he said. It should also help with accessibility for strollers and wheelchairs.

Read the notes from Documenter Lori Ingram:

Cleveland-Metroparks-Board-of-Park-Commissioners-06_20_2024Download
Signal background

Suggested Reading

Service Journalism Reporter (she/her)
I am dedicated to untangling bureaucracy so Clevelanders can have the information (and the power) they want. I spent 10 years on the frontlines of direct service working with youth and system-impacted communities before receiving my degree in media advocacy at Northeastern University.

Cleveland Documenters pays and trains people to cover public meetings where government officials discuss important issues and decide how to spend taxpayer money.