BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Los Altos residents are circulating a petition to have separate men’s and women’s restrooms in the renovated library.
Architects presented draft plans to the city’s Library Commission on May 22 that showed the restroom would have seven stalls for any gender and a common area for the sinks. The building would have two family restrooms that could be locked individually.
Reconfiguring the bathrooms will allow for more space in the children’s area and a room for a nonprofit that supports the library, architects said.
But resident Melissa White said many girls feel uncomfortable sharing restroom spaces with men, and the family restrooms would become overcrowded.
“Shared stalls could result in less hygienic conditions than women typically experience in gender-specific restrooms, especially because men are used to using urinals rather than toilets,” White said in a petition, which had 172 signatures on Friday.
The petition mentions a similar situation at Palo Alto’s Hoover Elementary School, where the district had non-gendered restrooms but separated them after parent pushback and student complaints.
Petitioners had an ally in Commissioner Michelle Morris at the May 22 meeting.
“The all-gender bathroom only works if you already have gender-specific bathrooms,” Morris said. “I just don’t feel comfortable, and I don’t think it’s safe for kids.”
Architects will return to the Library Commission with updated plans on Aug. 11, followed by a presentation to council on Aug. 28.
The library at 13 S. San Antonio Road is in between City Hall and Hillview Park. Council hired Anderson Brule Architects in December for $132,628 to design improvements.