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Shoddy potty! Locals demand removal of agency shed that has become a public toilet

Shoddy potty! Locals demand removal of agency shed that has become a public toilet
Photo by Jason Speakman

Talk about being pee-ved.

The city must move a storage shed that passers-by with busy bladders use as an outdoor urinal, according to area residents who said the seasonal warm weather exacerbates the foul stench of human waste outside their homes.

“It’s right outside my window so on hot days it smells,” said Diana Dietrich, who lives on S. Elliott Place near DeKalb Avenue and shares her block with the stinky structure.

The School Construction Authority — the agency in charge of building and repairing schools — installed the temporary shed last July to store materials for a project at Brooklyn Technical High School. It has become a favorite spot for people to take a public leak ever since, with pedestrians stopping to pee on it at least once a day, according to Dietrich.

To make matters worse, delinquents discard trash near the structure and water pools on top of the shed when it rains, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes that locals fear carry diseases. And the sidewalk near the shed — which is covered by scaffolding — is now a site for suspicious activities, according to another local who saw someone rolling a joint in the shadow of the bin.

“Dark things with dark spaces in New York create little nooks and crannies for people to do bad stuff in,” said Bretton Scott, who witnesses shed-side debauchery from his home next door.

It is only a matter of time before a person takes advantage of the block’s shady conditions and holds someone up or sneaks into a building while a door is still open, Scott said.

“It’s an eyesore, it’s a safety issue,” he said. “What happens when someone mugs you or comes into a building?” he said.

A rep for the School Construction Authority said the storage container contains important materials for the Brooklyn Tech project and cannot be removed until July 31.

In the meantime, the on-site contractor will complete daily inspections and sweep off water that accumulates after rainfall, according to a Department of Education spokeswoman.

Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–2511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill
In the act: Bretton Scott captured this image of someone urinating on a storage shed at Brooklyn Technical High School, which he has a front-row view seat for from his home next door.
Bretton Scott