Last week I asked whether any of you have been asked to remove restrooms from federal property tied to the partial shutdown of the government. Now it turns out portable restrooms are playing a pivotal role in preserving a popular seasonal tourist attraction because a federal visitor’s center was part of the shutdown.
According to an Associated Press story this week, officials in Salem, Mass., have called on a portable restroom operator to bring in units after the National Park Service closed its visitor center in Salem, Mass., just as October’s popular Haunted Happenings event started. Salem is known for the notorious witch trials of 1692, and every year the city holds daily trick-or-treats, a witchcraft expo and other attractions that generate millions in revenue.
“If this shutdown doesn't end soon, the Salem witches may have to get together and do a little magic to push it along,” Christian Day, a Salem volunteer and “warlock,’’ told AP.
The government shutdown has been going on for more than a week. There have been 17 government shutdowns since 1977, the longest triggered by a spending plan veto by President Bill Clinton in 1995. At that time, the government was closed down for 21 days. Most of the time, the shutdowns last a day to three days until a spending plan or continuing resolution, a stopgap solution for federal funding, is approved.
Have you been asked to step in and help with portable sanitation services when public restrooms have closed down due to the shutdown? Tell us about it.
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