County officials have installed temporary fencing near the Pima County Administration Building to prevent people from using an air vent above the underground parking garage as a toilet.
The fence went up Wednesday morning, after the county Health Department cited both the county and city of Tucson for health-code violations for a public nuisance dangerous to public health.
It also comes in response to the growing frequency of complaints from county officials and employees about the increase of human waste found around the downtown area.
“People now are on almost daily routines of patrolling and cleaning the areas around the building,” Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said.
Pima County Facilities Maintenance crews regularly clean up county-owned property downtown, mostly around the government complex near Congress Street and Church Avenue, and in El Presidio Park north of the complex along Pennington Street.
The crews also sanitize areas where waste was removed.
Incidents of human waste in public spaces downtown have increased as the population of the homeless camp surrounding Veinte de Agosto Park has grown.
Activist who initiated what they call the Safe Park movement say they are protesting the lack of social services and the so-called criminalization of homelessness.
On Monday, the City Council voted to try to find a new location where amenities, including portable toilets, could be provided for the homeless. But there is no indication when that will happen, or how many of those now camping downtown would relocate there.
The homeless camp has grown from a small number of people sleeping in bedrolls on the sidewalk in December to more than 60 wooden crates, tents and other makeshift shelters since a federal judge ruled they could remain on city sidewalks 24 hours a day, as long as a five-foot clearance was left for pedestrians.
Huckelberry said the county also plans to install lighting along the roof of the walkway between the Administration and Superior Court buildings as a safety measure. The lights would shine down into the now fenced-off, two-tiered planter along Congress, where human waste is often found. The area stands just above the sidewalk where many homeless reside in tents and boxes.
The Health Department violation notices reiterate that department workers found human feces and urine around the county administration building, in Veinte de Agosto Park, around Tucson City Hall and in El Presidio Plaza.
Huckelberry said the notices are part of the department’s normal practices when health violations are found.
Meanwhile, the Pima County Board of Health unanimously voted last week to request that city officials install portable toilet facilities at the park.
The county has also established a line to report incidents of human waste on county property, by calling the Pima County Health Department at 724-7908, or Pima County Facilities Management at 724-3085.
Sanitation issues not on county property can be referred to the Downtown Tucson Partnership at 268-9035.
