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Brian Hsiang was up late a few weeks ago thinking about handwashing.
“I started to think about what a privilege it is to have clean running water to keep me and my family healthy,” Hsiang said.
That night, he surfed the internet to learn how to build a portable handwashing station and resolved to take on the task. Hsiang’s stations do not require power or running water. Rather, they consist of a 50-gallon barrel, several five gallon buckets, and a mechanism that includes a toe clip from an old bicycle — that allows users to pump one-third of a cup of water at a time onto their hands. Hsiang assembled the contraption and attached hand soap to the side, and he recruited several friends to build more.
With his finished product, Hsiang turned to Sam Bliss for help placing the device in a public place. Bliss works with Food Not Bombs Burlington and has been organizing food parcels for people experiencing homelessness in the city during the Covid-19 outbreak. The group settled on the Market Place Garage.
“We thought the parking garage is a good spot because it’s unlikely to attract a gathering,” Bliss said. “We want to make sure the people we are serving know that the handwashing station is there, but putting it in a popular location might create a water cooler effect.”
The next day, however, the station had been removed by the Department of Public Works. Bliss suspected the department was behind the removal since an employee in a marked truck had come by when the group was setting up the station and asked questions about it. He said he called the department and received confirmation that the handwashing station had been removed. Bliss said he was frustrated to learn what had happened, especially since the station was clearly labeled.
“People washing their hands all the time is a good way to not get Covid-19, and so more places to wash your hands is better than fewer,” he said. “Right now, public buildings and businesses are closed and there are fewer places out in the world to wash your hands, so for people experiencing homelessness especially it’s really important that there are places for them to wash their hands.”
Jeff Padgett, the interim assistant director for parking and traffic at the department, said it was his call to remove the handwashing station. The removal cost the city $105, he said.
“We didn’t know who put it there, how long it had been there, who was going to maintain it, or even what was in it,” he said. “Basically it was a 55-gallon drum of liquid on our property that we knew nothing about so really we had no choice.”
Padgett said he supports the effort to promote public health, but that such efforts need to be coordinated through proper channels. When he spoke to Bliss on the phone, Padget said he suggested that the handwashing station team reach out to the city’s Resource and Recovery Center or private entities like churches or businesses to partner with on the project.
“Whenever you have a drum of liquid you have to have some assurance that it’s safe all the time and we don’t have the staff to do that all the time,” he said. “We’re sympathetic to the cause but it needs to be coordinated.”
Padgett also said that for those who need to wash their hands while in public, the bathrooms on the first floor of City Hall are open and are being maintained safely.
Bliss said that he, along Hsiang and the other people working on this effort, have been in touch organizations that are willing to place handwashing stations on their properties. They are hoping to place one at a downtown church, and Hsiang has plans to drop two more at the Feeding Chittenden food shelf, where he has plans to meet up with a city employee to show them his design.
Both Hsiang and Bliss expressed the hope that the city will build, or at least agree to maintain, some number of handwashing stations like the ones they’ve created.
“If we can put a little pressure on the city to maybe pay for and maintain these handwashing stations that would be the best outcome because they’re the government and that’s their job,” Bliss said.
Hsiang also said he hopes to connect with other private citizens who are interested in getting involved with his efforts.
“I just feel like the more opportunities we have to wash our hands the better we can keep ourselves and our communities safe,” he said. “I would be excited to share plans with someone and whatever knowledge I can help out with.”
