The future site of the Philly Phlush public restroom in Clark Park, just east of the basketball court (Photo by West Phill Local).

So long Clark Park porta potties, bring on the Philly Phlush.

Construction is set to begin this week in Clark Park on the city’s latest “Philly Phlush” – the permanent public restroom – the Friends of Clark Park announced on Saturday.

Philly Phlush is a local version of Portland Loo, a modular ADA-accessible bathroom, which was designed and first-installed in its namesake city in Oregon. The Clark Park bathroom will be installed in the “C” section of the park, near the basketball court. You may have seen the orange barriers at the site already. Construction will take about a month and the city will maintain the restroom.

The Philly Phlush in North Philadelphia (Photo from City of Philadelphia).

Philly Phlushes are also located in Center City on JFK Boulevard near City Hall and in Fotterall Square in North Philadelphia. They include a baby changing station, an external handwashing station, free menstrual products and free Naloxone.

The public bathroom installation is part of the Clark Park Plan, the outline for park development and investments approved by the city in 2023.

The announcement was made on Saturday, during a celebration of fundraising success for the Clark Park Plan. The Friends of Clark Park also announced that $1.4 million had been raised from a variety of sources to upgrade the playgrounds at the park. That funding includes a $500,000 state grant presented by state Rep. Rick Krajewski and a $150,000 grant from the Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s Office. Another $313,000 came from the William Penn Foundation and $20,000 was raised through individual donations.

But the most surprising donation came from single West Philly resident. Barry Grossbach, a longtime community advocate and a co-founder of the Friends of Clark Park, donated $400,000 toward the upgrade. Thanks Barry!