Next door to the Ramada Pottsville is an unoffical landmark to the city's more than 80-year effort to draw crowds to shop downtown.
It's a collection of closed-up comfort stations, two sets of men's and ladies' restrooms.
Beneath the sidewalk on the first block of South Center Street are the remains of the set the city built in 1927 and closed in 1977.
"The last time we were down there was 2001. We went down to remove the metal dedication plaque. We figured, why leave it down there. Now, there's water in them, ground water. I don't know if I'd want to go down there now," Daniel E. Kelly, city superintendent of streets, said Nov. 25.
Just above them is the "Centre Street Mall" comfort station which the city opened in 1977 and closed in 2009. The men's and ladies' rooms are padlocked.
"All we have in there now is the electrical box for the traffic lights out front at Mahantongo and Centre and the fountain," Kelly said.
Aside from that, Kelly said the city has no plans for the building, which has a decorative metal plaque honoring the local officials who established it 36 years ago.
The city council hasn't budgeted funds for the community comfort station there since 2008. And, considering that the city is planning a 1 mill tax increase to deal with its proposed expenses in 2014, it appears the building will simply remain a shadow of the city's more prosperous history.
Visitors to Pottsville can find public rest rooms at City Hall at 401 N. Centre St. and at the City of Pottsville's Union Station at 300 S. Centre St., according to City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar.
In an era with a troubled economy, community comfort stations are becoming casualties of municipal belt-tightening, Kelly and Palamar said recently.
There are only a few communities in the county that manage public restrooms situated outside of their municipal buildings. They include the Borough of Orwigsburg, which manages community bathrooms at Albrights Woods, Mayor Austin Scandiber said Nov. 26.
Meanwhile, Schuylkill Haven has two comfort stations, one set of restrooms at Stoyer's Dam and another at The Island park near the Schuylkill River.
Despite the troubled economy, Schuylkill Haven is determined to keep its community restrooms open, Mayor Michael Devlin said Nov. 25.
"We're putting a lot of time and effort into our recreation areas. The last thing we would do is remove them," Devlin said.
In 2009, Pine Grove Township spent $150,000 to construct a comfort station at the township's recreation park off Long Stretch Road and Oak Grove Road, Diane Tobin, chairwoman of the township supervisors, said Wednesday.
"We used about $40,000 in grant money toward that project. But the lion's share came from the township. But it was a good investment. The park is used a lot," Tobin said.
Both Scandiber and Devlin recalled the underground comfort station Pottsville operated from 1927 to 1977.
"I remember the ones in Pottsville. Remember there that's a long time. It was great if you were in town and you weren't from town, at least you can go to the comfort station. At one time, they had a guy down there shining shoes," Scandiber said.
"That's correct. The ones underground used to have shoe shine stands," Kelly said.
"Back then, that was a big deal," Scandiber said.
The city closed its underground comfort station in the mid-1970s when new sidewalks were installed and a new comfort station was built above ground. The above ground comfort station, which opened in 1977, closed in 2009, Palamar said.
"The upkeep on them was too much. You have to keep heat in them. And there was always a problem with vandalism," Kelly said Nov. 25 as he opened the former above-ground men's room.
Blotches of black spray paint dotted the walls.
He said the vandalism in the ladies' room is worse.
"There's broken sinks. One was pulled off the wall. It's in rough shape," Kelly said.
In 2008, the city budgeted $10,500 for upkeep of its comfort station, which included $6,500 for utilities and $4,000 for repairs, Palamar said.